Old Greenfield Church and Historic CemeteryThis site along with 19,600 acres, was purchased through a state land lottery, September 1843-44, by REV. ELI GRAVES formerly of Vermont. In March, 1848 all was sold to his brother Presbyterian pastor REV. JOEL S. GRAVES. In 1850, using handmade bricks from a nearby clay pit, REV. GRAVES built the area's first brick structure, a church with annex for the area's first 'common' school. The first teacher was RUTH GRAVES and in February 1861, ROXANNA GRAVES became the second. The Post Office was at Greenfield June 26, 1856-1883. REV. GRAVES brought industry to the thriving community by building a three-story building on Sloan Creek with a grist mill, general store, steam-powered wool carding factory and a "bucket shop." During the War Between the States, REV. GRAVES bucket and barrel factory supplied a Confederate contract. The church served as a recruiting center and field hospital from 1863 to war's end under the care of Methodist minister and former Kentucky legislator REV./DR. BAKER E. WATKINS and his assistant DR. SAMUEL HART of Americus, Ga. REV./DR. WATKINS and REV. FLOURNOY CLARK represented Colquitt County at the Constitutional Convention in November of 1865. REV./DR. WATKINS was elected first County School Commissioner in 1872 and served in this capacity until his death in 1876.(continued on other side) NOTE: Ruth Graves was the sister of Eli and Joel Spencer Graves. Roxanna Graves was the handicapped daughter of Joel Spencer Graves.

The graves of Greenfield community founders Rev. Joel Spencer Graves and Rev. / Dr. Baker Ewing Watkins are indicated on the photograph.

Three of Rev. Joel S. Graves sons married the daughters of Rev. / Dr. Baker E. Watkins.

Along the treeline, please note a line of tombstones. Many of these are the graves of Civil War soldiers who died under Dr. Watkins care when the church was used as a Confederate hospital. There are no inscriptions.