While the historic Mt. Pleasant Church is located much closer to the village of Valier, and just a bit down the road from the ghost town of Rend City, the church actually has a Benton address.
The picturesque old structure sits atop a hill that overlooks the church's 100-year-old cemetery, and beyond that hundreds of aces of nearby farmland.
The church was built in 1916. This was the fourth church building constructed on the site. The third building burned down. It sat just in front of this building in the corner of the cemetery.
It is no longer used for regular services and hasn't been since Brother Walter Cutty preached the final message there Oct. 10, 1965.
In the spring of 2000, a committee of younger generations of those who used to attend the church was formed to oversee the repairs and upkeep of this building.
According to Sheila Lewis Jones of Benton, a member of that committee, the congregation was first organized at the home of John Browning on July 11, 1829, and was then located on Browning Hill, about 1 mile east of the current building.
She said the church holds a historic distinction as the oldest Missionary Baptist Church in Franklin County.
Its was one of seven churches that organized the Franklin Baptist Association on Oct. 16, 1841.
A historic church near Benton survives despite decades of inactivity
Posted on 4/11/2017, 5:00 AM
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