Shady Grove Church
1823 to 1966
Shady Grove Church was organized in 1823 by James Farthing and James Farrell. Shady Grove was just south of present
day New Hill. In 1854 it was decided to move the church but after considering the advantage of the well of good water at the
present site the members repaired the church and left it at the old site.
According to the records the church had forty three black members in its history. After the Civil War Joe Bowling gave the
blacks an acre of land to build there own church. Three of the blacks members remained at Shady Grove for eight to ten
years. One of these was Henderson Evan, who at his death gave his property to Shady Grove Church.
Prior to the Civil War Sunday School was not held in winter because of weather conditions and difficulty in traveling to and
from church. Soon after the war year round services were started. J.C. Daniels and some others members left Shady Grove
to help organize Olive Chapel Church in 1850. Still others members left to help in the organization of Collins Grove Church.
In 1888 Brothers R.J. Bennett and J.J. Welch from Shady Grove gathered with others from Olive Chapel in New Hill
Christian Church in order to found a new congregation. This new church was New Hill Baptist Church.
Three houses of worship have been used. The first was a log house. The next was as unceiled frame building. In 1900 the
house was newly weatherboareded, floored, ceiled and provided with two classrooms. In 1925 an auditorium and two class
rooms were built. The entire building was painted inside and out and remodeled at a cost of $3,000.
From Shady Grove came four churches which serve our communities.