Stone Church
Also known as: Old Stone Church
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Why it's listed
Built of native sandstone between 1850 and 1852, Stone Church is a small rectangular rural church east of Ringgold, Georgia, with a sheet-metal roof and a cemetery on a grassy knoll behind it. Stone was hauled from a quarry at White Oak Mountain by a charter member and his two brothers, and the building cost $1,600. The congregation was organized as a Presbyterian church in 1837, among the first in the territory opened after the Cherokee removal. Sandstone was rare for Georgia churches, and few Presbyterian churches existed in the state before the Civil War. During the war the area lay between opposing armies, and tradition holds that the building served as a hospital for both sides. Services stopped for about eighteen months. Presbyterians left the building in 1921, Methodists used it afterward, and it has been held by its current trustees since 1937. Original pews and altar survive inside, and the cemetery holds burials dating from the 1840s.
Significance in brief: It is locally important as one of the first church bodies organized in the area after the 1830s opening of the territory, as the oldest church structure still in use in the county, and as a site of Civil War activity. Its sandstone construction is rare among Georgia churches. It is also one of the few antebellum Presbyterian churches in a state that was ninety percent Baptist and Methodist in 1850.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 79000703, listed November 29, 1979. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | E of Ringgold off U.S. 76, Ringgold |
|---|---|
| County | Catoosa County |
| Listed | November 29, 1979 |
| Reference number | 79000703 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architect / builder | Unknown |
| Areas of significance | Architecture, Religion, Social History |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Condition listed as fair and altered; the form says it is the oldest church structure still in use in the county and is leased to a Baptist congregation. |
| Acreage | 5 |
| Coordinates | 34.90644, -85.07686 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
Religious properties are listed for their architectural or historical significance, not their religious use. Listing is honorary and does not restrict the congregation's use of the building. The federal rehabilitation credit is generally unavailable unless part of the building is income-producing; some state programmes and preservation grants do cover religious buildings. Federal funding or permits trigger Section 106 review.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 79000703.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikidata Q134139297
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.