Cross Roads Baptist Church

Front: This church was founded between 1860 and 1880 by Forch Allen (1823-1911) and members of the Allen and Oglesby families, including other descendants of Cherokees who lived in early Lower Towns such as Tugaloo and Seneca. Its first building, completed about 1884, was a log church. The present frame church, built in 1900, was rebuilt in 1973. Reverse: Longtime members of the congregation include the Adair, Allen, Jones, Martin, Oglesby, Poole, Ross, Sizemore, Thompson, Walker, and other families. The Cross Roads School, one of several separate Indian schools in S.C. during the early-to-mid 19th century, stood behind the church. It opened in 1921, closed in 1962, and was torn down by the church in 1979.