The church pictured here was originally known as Bethlehem Baptists Church, which grew out of the Baptist congregation at Elim, near Lynch’s River in Effingham. Members of the Elim congregation often traveled back and forth to attend services, leading some to establish a church closer to their homes.

Three Baptist churches have stood on this site. The first was a log cabin built in the 1830s and known as Bethlehem Baptist Church. Around 1858, a second church was built on the site as the congregation continued to grow. The building pictured here was that second church.

As the congregation grew, it needed a larger church. In 1919, construction began on a new building, which was completed in 1920 and it became known as Lake City Baptist Church, later the First Baptist Church of Lake City. The older church pictured here was moved to Peachtree Street and given to Mt. Claire Baptist Church.