Lily Union Baptist Church

Edited by Spessard Stone


As early as 1870, worship services were held under brush arbors in the area that today is known as the Lily community in southwestern Hardee County, Florida, but a church was not founded for eighteen years. (1)

On Saturday, August 25, 1888, services were held in the Platt school house. Rev. James H. Hayman preached from Mark 14:38 and after his sermon, there followed a meeting, in which it was decided to organize a church at Lily. On the next day, August 26, 1888, Rev. William Farnel Norris preached from Luke 23:42-43. An organizational meeting ensued and Union Missionary Baptist Church was organized. Attending that historic meeting were: Lusetta E. Gause, Jessie D. Johnson, Mattie J. Johnson, Nancy E. Lane, James H. & Annie (Dupree) Murphy, William E. & Viola Norris, William Farnel Norris, Burrell F. & Angelia (Hendry) Roberts, William B. Roberts. William E. Norris was ordained deacon, and Rev. James H. Hayman was called as pastor. During the following year, the following joined and are considered charter members: Mary Albritton, Thomas G. & Georgia Albritton, Effie G. Brown, James G. Dupree, Lewis D. Dupree, James H. Hayman, Amanda Reid.(2)

The church initially held services in a school house, known as the Platt School. On May 7, 1889, Nathan C. and Florida Platt deeded one acre more or less, i.e,. the NE 1/4 of the NE 1/4 of Section 11, Range 36, Township 23, to D. W. Albritton and George Brewster Gause in trust for the Union Missionary Baptist Church. In May 1898, a building committee, composed of O. A. Albritton, Charles Johnson and William B. Roberts, was appointed. The only payment recorded was made to G. W. Gause for $96.40 for labor. On December 15, 1901, a 40’x30’ church with three rows of seats was dedicated. (3)

Roy Coker, who became a member in 1921, recalled in 1988: (4)

“We had services twice a month. We had Sunday School and church in the morning and church at night. There was no electricity, just the old carbide lamps on the wall down both sides of the building.

“Didn’t have windows or screens either, and the women used funeral home fans when the weather was real hot. The men all sat down front in the amen corner and the women and the boys sat in the back. Kids stayed with their mothers and sometimes one would make a pallet on the floor for the little ones. If one of them misbehaved, their mother would take them by the arm and march them up to the front of the church to sit. If that didn’t work, a trip outside usually did.

“There wasn’t any set time for the church to end either, whoever was in the pulpit just preached till he got tired-as much as two hours and then the prayer was sometimes as long as the sermon.

“We couldn’t pay a preacher back then. We would give him a bushel of potatoes or a quarter of beef and somebody would always have the preacher home for dinner on church Sunday.

“We had dinner on the grounds once a month too and there was always plenty to eat, had sweet potatoes, peas ‘n rice, macaroni and cheese, biscuits, cornbread, greens and all kinds of peas and cakes. We didn’t have fresh meat unless somebody had just killed some. The older people would eat first, then the kids.”

Hurricane Donna in 1960 ripped the roof off the church, and the resulting water damage left the church beyond repair. While a new church was being built, services were held at the home of Carl Hines or at the school. A new 26’x40’ concrete church, seating ninety-four, was constructed. The last payment to the contractor, Mac McClelland, was made on February 7, 1961, at which time the church was finished. In May 1961, the pulpit was bought and installed. A fellowship hall was finished in 1979 and enlarged in 1981. (5)

Preachers include: James H. Hayman, Aug. 1888-Sept. 1890; John W. Hendry, Nov. 1890-Oct. 1893; Henry H. Norris, Nov. 1893-Nov. 1894; John W. Hendry, Dec. 1894-Sept. 1897; W. D. Payne, Nov. 1897-Oct. 1898; John W. Hendry, Nov. 1898-Oct. 1899; James H. Hayman, Dec. 1899-Oct. 1901; John W. Hendry, Jan. 1902-Nov. 1904; W. B. Mahon, Nov. 1904-Feb. 1905; Tom White, April 1905-Nov. 1910; J. A. Atkins, Nov. 1910-Sept. 1911; J. A. Roberts, Oct. 1911-Aug. 1915; Tom White, Oct. 1915-Oct. 1917; Sam Durrance, Nov. 1927-May 1919; John Coker, Sept. 1919-Apr. 1924; Sidney L. Albritton, June 1924-Aug. 1929; J. A. Roberts, Sept. 1929-Sept. 1931; Vernon Coker, Oct. 1931-Sept. 1932; Sidney Albritton, Oct. 1932-Sept. 1935; Roy Forbes, Oct. 1935-Sept. 1937; J. Dudley Best, Oct. 1937-Sept. 1940; C. W. Mann, Oct. 1940-July 1942; Harry Duncan, July 1942-Sept. 1943; A. J. Graves, Oct. 1943-May 1945; Guy Albritton, July 1945-Sept. 1947; George Alerman, Oct. 1947-Aug. 1948; M. O. Daizy, Sept. 1948-Sept. 1949; Emmett Simmons, Oct. 1949-Sept. 1955; Adger Tatom, Oct. 1955-March 1961; C. E. Moore, May 1961-Aug. 1961; Vernon Flegle, Dec. 1961-June 1963; J. D. Partin, Oct. 1963-Sept. 1965; Eddie Kennedy, Nov. 1965-Sept. 1968; Virgil DeVore, Dec. 1968-Oct. 1969; Mike Glassburn, Feb. 1970-June 1972; J. D. Partin, Nov. 1972-June 1973; H. Bartow Young, Nov. 1973-Sept. 1977; Joe H. Harrell, Dec. 1977-?.(6)

Union Baptist Church is located at 5076 Lily Church Rd., Ona, FL, telephone 863-494-5622. Go west of Arcadia on SR 70, turn right on SR 665. At Limestone in Hardee County, turn left on SR 611.

Endnotes

(1) Jim Selman, “100 years later, Lily church still has that old-time religion,” The Tampa Tribune, June 11, 1988, 4F.

(2) Selman, 4F; “The Beginnings of Union Baptist Church,” Lily Union Baptist Church 100th Anniversary 1888-1988, n.p. Lewis Dupree and his brother, James, joined on November 25, 1888. The following are buried in Lily Cemetery: Lusetta Elizabeth “Settie” Gause was born January 31, 1870; died August 12, 1953. She married on Nov. 9, 1890 William Napoleon “Pole” Duncan, born March 20, 1868; died May 29, 1947. Nancy E. Lane was born March 2, 1852; died August 24, 1934. James H. Murphy was born November 2, 1848; died March 30, 1911. Annie Dupree Murphy was born July 7, 1861; died April 27, 1944. Amanda Reid was born December 12, 1832; died January 3, 1918. William Brown Roberts was born August 21, 1851; died August 12, 1928. Thomas G. Roberts was born April 6, 1854; died September 15, 1933. Georgia Coker Albritton was born March 18, 1858; died January 6, 1929.

(3) Selman, 5F; “Building Committee Appointed In 1898,” Lily Union Baptist Church 100th Anniversary 1888-1988, n.p.

(4) “Oldest Member At Lily Can Remember...How It Used To Be,” Lily Union Baptist Church 100th Anniversary 1888-1988, n.p. Roy Coker, a citrus grower and cattleman, was born August 8, 1900 and died August 6, 1993. He had been ordained a deacon under Rev. Emmett Simmons and served twenty years before retiring in 1981. See also obituary of Roy Coker, The Tampa Tribune, August 8, 1983.

(5) “Times Were Changing at Lily Church,” Lily Union Baptist Church 100th Anniversary 1888-1988, n.p.; Selman, 5F.

(6) “Preachers at Union Baptist Church, Lily, Florida, Lily Union Baptist Church 100th Anniversary 1888-1988, n.p. I do not have a list of pastors to 2002. If anyone has the pastors from 1988 to 2002, please e-mail me, and I’ll update.




Photos are from cover page of church history




April 24, 2002