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The beginning of the Pleasant Grove Missionary Baptist Church goes back to the year 1908, when a revival meeting took place, led by Elders Craig Rasnic and J.T. Hull, at what was named the Hard Scrabble School by a teacher of the school. This wasn't because the community was classed as a tough, hard community, but because the roads were rough, hard, and muddy for travel to get there. In fact, the people of the area were right the opposite to what the original name might infer— a very pleasant group, which could have inspired the naming of the church "Pleasant Grove". The site of the old Hard Scrabble School is just down the road a ways from where the present-day Pleasant Grove Missionary Baptist Church is.
The revival meeting produced 60 new converts, who were later baptized in Big River, near what was known at that time as the Henson Hays Farm, not far from the Liberty Baptist Church, which was eventually moved into Belgrade. The old Henson Hays farm is now owned by Billy and Tracy Moses.
Liberty Baptist Church, of Belgrade MO, offered to extend, what was termed, in connection with such an effort to establish new churches, an 'arm', giving the group permission to organize its own church.
The new congregation continued to meet regularly for the next few months at the Pleasant Grove School. These were the days before automobiles, when the mode of travel was by wagon, buggy, horseback, and walking. The weather was seldom too bad or the roads too rough and muddy for the good folk to attend the services they enjoyed. Their spirits could not be swayed by such obstacles as bad roads and weather. Everybody attended and took part in the old-time preaching, prayer, meeting, singing, and shouting. Unity in the congregation was evidenced in the organization and building of the new church soon to be.
To form the new church, 34 members were presented letters of dismissal from the Mother Church — Liberty Baptist Church. They adopted the Articles of Faith, Rules of Decorum, and the Church Covenant, necessary for organization of a new church.
On June 20th, 1909, the church was organized and adopted the name Pleasant Grove Missionary Baptist Church.
On July 28, 1909, the newly organized church decided to build a permanent place of worship. Aunt Sarah Atchinson, as she was so lovingly called, donated the ground for the site.
The first pastor of Pleasant Grove Missionary Baptist Church was Bro. J.T. Hull.
Construction of the Church
The men of the church hauled the lumber by wagon from two sawmills in the area, one in Iron County, and Whitker's Sawmill, west of Potosi MO, taking two days to make the round trip. Many citizens of the area, especially in Caledonia and Belgrade contributed to the work.
The first 22 pews, a pulpit, a stand table, 3 lamps, a pulpit chair, aisle carpet, song books, and Bibles were donated by the Belleview Baptist Church.
Down through the years, the congregation has done much to improve the building and grounds.
Wall-to-wall carpet was installed and inside walls paneled. Indoor restrooms have been added and a new well dug, but you can still see the old out house out back and the water pump standing at the front of the church.
Two additions, to the east and west sides, have been added to the original structure, serving as classroom space and a fellowship hall.
When the church was first built, it did not have a bell tower, as you can see from the picture (left) taken in 1911 . On March 2, 1924, the church voted to accept a church bell from Hickory Grove Baptist Church, and a committee was appointed to draw up plans and collect money for the belfry.
The belfry was built and the church bell was installed and has served as a sort of stately marshal to the church and grounds.
Ties to the Civil War
Webster Road, the road Pleasant Grove is located on, was made rather famous as the route of General Ewing, serving on the side of the Union, during the Civil War, when he slipped from Fort Davidson at Pilot Knob, on September 29, 1864, only to be followed by the raging Confederates. Therefore, the site of the future Pleasant Grove Baptist, in that one episode, might not have been so pleasant, but if the site had eyes to see, ears to hear, and a mouth to talk, oh, the stories it could tell — both of a time of war and of a people who got together some years later, with the intent and determination to serve the Lord.
Pleasant Grove Missionary Baptist Church is one of the smallest Washington County churches in membership and size, but is one of the largest in the measure of success to fulfill the purpose for which it was organized and built more than 115 years ago — having become one of the most historic Baptist congregations in the state of Missouri.
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