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The old Mt. Olive
Baptist Church in Armstrong Colony
Courtesy Fayette Co Hist Commission;
submitted by Carolyn Heinsohn, FCHC member |
History in
a Pecan Shell
By Carolyn
Heinsohn, Fayette County Historical Commission:
One of two freedmen’s settlements in Fayette
County, the Armstrong Colony is located in the southwestern corner
of Fayette County.
(The other community is Cozy Corner.)
It was established when Jacob Armstrong purchased 162 acres of land
on the headwaters of Peach Creek in 1875, joining Harry and Ellen
Pettitt Simms, who had purchased 110 acres the prior year.
Armstrong founded a school under a brush arbor on his land shortly
after his arrival.
The Mt. Olive Church was established in 1876, and services were held
under the same brush arbor and later in a log cabin, where school
was also held.
A substantial new frame church, named the Mt. Olive Missionary Baptist
Church, was built in 1918 and used until it was razed and replaced
by the present brick sanctuary in 1994.
At one time, there was an elementary school and a high school, known
as the Albrecht School.
Four different general stores, two cotton gins and a broom factory
operated in the area.
Oil was discovered in the area in the late 1940s and early 1950s;
more recently, gas wells in the Eagle Ford Shale are prevalent.
A well-kept community cemetery is located a short distance from the
church, fellowship hall and museum housed in the old teacherage on
Armstrong-Derry Road. |
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landmarks and recent or vintage photos, please contact
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