Coopers Chapel Missionary Baptist Church

Date: 1880 [unknown]
Location: Dismal, DeKalb, Tennessee, United States
Surname/tag: Baptist

Image:Coopers Chapel Missionary Baptist Church.jpg

Coopers Chapel Missionary Baptist Church

Coopers Chapel Missionary Baptist Church is in Dismal, near Dowelltown, in DeKalb County, Tennessee.

Denise Snow Rutland was kind enough to share additional information on it with us in an article from 1965.

Cooper's Chapel

Cooper's Chapel is probably the only church building in DeKalb County that was named for a person of another faith. History records that it was named for Isaac Cooper who at the time, was a Methodist. However, shortly after the building was constructed he was baptized into the Baptist Church.

The Baptist interests on Dismal Creek dates back to the early part of the nineteenth century when Elder John Fite (1758-1852) began preaching in the section.

This culminated in the constitution of a church known as Goshen Methodist Church, a short distance below where this church now stands. Goshen Methodist Church was constituted in 1821 by Elders Cantrell Bethel (1779-1848) and John Fite (1758-1852).

However, Interest waned and the church was dissolved in November 1836.

About 1879 Elder J.C. Brien began preaching in the community and interest awakened to the extent that Cooper's Chapel was constituted in 1880.

The first pastor was Elder J.C. Brien; the first clerk was H.A. Hill; and the first deacons were James Malone, William O'Neal and S.R. Sandlin.

The present pastor is the Rev. G.C. Whitlock. Shelton L. Curtis is clerk, treasurer and chairman of the Board of Deacons. Tommie Cripps is Sunday school superintendent and Betty Jo Williams in pianist.