White Oak Methodist Church
White Oak Historic Cemetery on Find-a-Grave
In “History of McDuffie County, Georgia, c. 1932” by McCommons-Stovall, the Methodist Bishop Francis Asbury is noted for preaching at Whiteoak Methodist.
“The earliest record we have of the Methodists’ religious services in the territory that later became McDuffie County appears in ‘Methodism in Georgia’ by Rev. George Smith. “In the spring of 1792, Bishop Asbury, the first Methodist Bishop in the United States, once more entered Georgia from South Carolina. From Screven County, he rode up the country to White Oak. The weather was cold, the houses were open, and from seven o’clock in the morning until seven o’clock in the evening, he was forced to ride before he could break his fast, so few were the places to stop.” (McCommons-Stovall, c. 1932)
In 1796, Asbury crossed the river near Augusta, visited Augusta, rode on through Columbia County, preaching at Whiteoak, and was forced to ride fifteen miles after the sermon before he could get dinner; he swam Little River in Wilkes [county] and on Friday was at Combs meeting house and that evening at Gartrells. (McCommons-Stovall, c. 1932)
In 1802, Bishop Asbury preached at White Oak and rode home to dinner with Capt. Ignatius Few, whose eldest son, Ignatius A. Few, was concerned about his soul. It was nearly twenty-five years after the Bishop rode to his home to talk with him and pray for him that he was converted in 1827 after having been lost in the wilds of infidelity. Ignatius A. Few became a minister and was the first President of Emory. (McCommons-Stovall, c. 1932)
Jones Chapel C.M.E. Church
From HRCGO.org, “research into White Oak’s history also uncovered a tragic event in September 1899. The McDuffie Weekly reported under the headline “A Sensational Tragedy” that Rev. H. B. Battle, an African American preacher, had been murdered by an unknown assailant. Days earlier, he had delivered a sermon at the campground to a mixed audience of Black and white attendees, addressing racial inequality—remarks some white listeners considered incendiary. This is the earliest known instance we have found of a campground sermon by an African American preacher to an integrated audience.”
Jones Chapel C.M.E. Church Cemetery on Find-a-Grave
White Oak Branch Creek
Situated in the southwestern portion of Columbia County, near Appling, Georgia, White Oak Branch is a local tributary that flows into or alongside the broader Kiokee Creek watershed, which empties into the Savannah River.
Native American History and Artifacts
McDuffie County was formed from Columbia and Warren Counties in 1870. Originally, at the founding of Georgia, the area was settled by European Settlers as St. Paul’s Parish. Trader George Galphin would travel into the indigenous territory to trade with both Creek and Cherokee tribes. The Whiteoak area was a crossroads for both trails into tribal territory.
Morris School Site
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White Oak Post Office Site
Whiteoak was established as a post office in Columbia County on November 24, 1830, with Robaert Maharry as post master. This office, which was located on the hill just above the mill near the W.H. Stone place, now known as Ansley’s Mill, was cut off into McDuffie County in 1870 and discontinued September 12, 1877. (McCommons-Stovall, c. 1932)
P. B. Morris General Store
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Ansley Mill Site
According to “History of McDuffie County, Georgia, c. 1932” by McCommons-Stovall, Ansley’s Mill at White Oak was “located on the hill… near the W.H. Stone place.”