Arkadelphia community traces its roots to before the Civil War

Arkadelphia Baptist Church in Conecuh County.

Last Thursday morning on a wild hair, I struck off west down Rural Street with an eye towards seeing what kind of damage had been left behind by Hurricane Zeta. I went through the Wild Avenue intersection and eventually crossed Murder Creek on my way out of town. Somewhere in this area – I’m not exactly sure where – Rural Street turns into the Loree Road.

A little over seven miles from downtown Evergreen, I found myself in the old Arkadelphia community, where I pulled over in front of the Arkadelphia Baptist Church. It was cloudy and threatening rain, but I got out anyway for a closer look at this stately old church. I’d passed by this church on the Loree Road many times, but as far as I can remember, I’d never set foot on the ground here before.

I spent a minute or two looking for an old cornerstone that might say more about the building’s history, but finding none, I eventually headed back to my truck. In passing, I noticed the modern sign out by the road. “Do You Spend Your Time With God’s Book Or Facebook?” it asked in big black plastic letters.

The sign also noted that the church was established in 1845, which likely makes this church one of the oldest in the county. It says a lot about the people of this small community that they have kept this small church going since before the Civil War. In 25 years, this church will turn 100 years old. I wonder if I will be around to see it?

I eventually left the church and drove the short distance back down the Loree Road to the old Arkadelphia Cemetery. I got out on this day after the hurricane and could hear the sound of a generator running at a house somewhere nearby. A few seconds later, I stepped inside the chain-link gate and spent a few minutes walking among the headstones.

Just eyeballing it, I’d say this spacious cemetery contains between 250 and 300 graves. This cemetery contains many old graves, but the oldest that I saw belonged to Luvicey Kyser, who died at the age of 26 in 1863. According to her headstone, she was born in 1836 and was the wife of W.M. Kyser.

I could not help but wonder if Luvicey was the wife of the William Kyser, who is buried at the Belleville Baptist Church. He was born in 1831 and was somewhat of a famous solider. During the Civil War, he served as First Sergeant of Co. F, 23^rd Battery, of the Alabama Sharpshooters. He died an old man in 1911.

After a while, I left the cemetery, shut the gate behind me and climbed back in my truck. The old Arkadelphia community seemed to have weathered Hurricane Zeta fairly well, no doubt much like she has weathered many storms in the past. Thankfully, the old church there suffered no apparent damage, almost as if a hand of protection had watched over it during the storm.

In the end, as I made my way back to Evergreen, I could not help but wonder about all of the people who once called Arkadelphia home. No doubt many of their descendants still live in Conecuh County today. If you happen to know more about the history of this area, please let me hear from you. I’m especially interested in any old ghost stories, local legends or Indian lore about this area, so if you know of anything along these lines, please let me know.