Tennille Baptist Church
Why it's listed
Tennille Baptist Church is a one-and-one-half-story brick church on North Main Street in Tennille, Georgia. Construction began in 1900, according to its cornerstone, and finished in 1903. The congregation, organized in 1876, moved in on completion. Architect Charles E. Choate designed it in a Victorian Gothic style, with two towers of unequal height, stained glass, pointed-arched windows, brick corbeling and metal finials. Inside, the sanctuary has a vaulted tongue-in-groove wood ceiling, carved Gothic details, wainscoting and pocket doors separating it from the former Sunday school rooms. The property was listed for its architecture. It is the only religious building and the only Gothic design by Choate in the Sandersville-Tennille area, where he began his practice, and it shows his early range. It closely resembles later Choate churches in Greenville, South Carolina, and McRae, Georgia. Its pipe organ, installed in 1913, was the first in Washington County. The rear additions are nonhistoric.
Significance in brief: The church is significant for its architecture as the only religious work by Charles Choate and the only Gothic design by him in the Sandersville-Tennille area. It is also a good example of Victorian Gothic church design of its period, with tall narrow proportions, irregular towers and pointed-arched windows. It shows the range of Choate's early work.
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 94000716, listed July 28, 1994. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 201--205 N. Main St., Tennille |
|---|---|
| County | Washington County |
| Listed | July 28, 1994 |
| Reference number | 94000716 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1903 (completion of construction) |
| Architect / builder | Charles E. Choate, architect |
| Architectural style | Late Victorian: Gothic |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Still in use as a religious facility; two rear additions are described as nonhistoric. |
| Acreage | 2 |
| Coordinates | 32.93834, -82.81162 (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 94000716.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7700290
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.