Monday, September 7, 2009

Mt. Canaan Missionary Baptist Church



Located just a couple of miles from our home, Mt. Canaan Missionary Baptist Church is comprised primarily of African-Americans. Behind the church is a cemetery, seen in the second photograph. Checking the grave markers, it would appear this church and cemetery has been in this location at least since the mid-1940s.

The final picture is a closeup of some flowers left at one of the grave sites.

27 comments:

Memphis MOJO said...

I see things like the church you shot, and drive right on by. I wish I had your ability to look around and find a photo op. Nice job - especially the nice colors in #3.

Lee Spangler said...

Jake: Thanks for all your cordial comments and support. I have met people who thought that if they didn't believe in heaven, this world would be intolerable. It's a muddle.

Don and Krise said...

The cemetery looks very well kept for it's age, and those are some flowers!

VP said...

Really a nice set of photographs, each one in its own way perfect. My favorite is the middle shot of the cemetery.

Olivier said...

belle tombe ce "Love", l'amour pour l'éternité

melanie said...

J'aime bien la chaise "love" !!

tapirgal said...

It looks so green there! And tropical. This is a lovely cemetery, the green punctuated by the bright colors. I can't say much for the design of the church, but it's nice to learn about your area. Nice job with the photo essay.

Small City Scenes said...

Nice post. I like to check out old cemetaries although this one isn't too too old. Interesting though. MB

Wolynski said...

Can't believe how green Florida is - I remember it as beachy and turquoise. Beautiful photos as usual, especially the flowers.

stromsjo said...

Almost could have been here, hadn't it been for the vegetation. And a modern church here probably wouldn't carry crosses as visible as these. Some don't have any at all. (Which has me wondering why they bother building the church in the first place.)

Cezar and Léia said...

Adorable bell just in the green grass!Different garden!
Léia

Antjas said...

It looks well tended. The living are still connected to those who went before.

B SQUARED said...

Love the colors of the third shot.

Marie said...

I like American cemeteries. They look so peaceful and not scary at all like ours.

brattcat said...

Florida cemeteries look so different from the ones we have here in New England. For one there's no spanish moss dripping from the trees. But there's something else I can't quite put my finger on. I guess your pictures will have to be worth three thousand words.

Leif Hagen said...

Beautiful cemetery flowers and heavenly church photo! There was a Mt. Canaan somewhere long, long ago . . . . Maybe it's still there?!

James said...

Very nice presentation of the church and cemetery. I really like the composition of the top photo.

Frank said...

The chair shot is really fine. With all that can be said about "southern" cemeteries, this shot is worth a thousand words. I love exploring cemeteries and am amazed at the things that you can find. It's a powerful experience.

Daryl said...

Lots of care/love has been taken to keep the place picture perfect

Mary Stebbins Taitt said...

Interesting church and graveyard, nice captures!!!

Marie said...

Hello Jacob, Mireille's family owned quarries in Ardèche. She inherited (among other things I guess :-)) the archives of the quarries. She wrote a first book entitled "Au pays de la pierre bleue", which is a sort of chronicle of life in Ardèche at the turn of the century. Then she wrote about the construction of a train in this area. Her third book deals with war memorials and American cemeteries in France (her family provided stones for the American cemeteries in France). Now she is writing about women! Quite different! The photo of the covers of her books are on her blog (which she has neglected for some time!). Have a nice day.

Lowell said...

@ Marie - Thank you for this information. Mireille is a woman of many interests. All of her books sound very interesting. I wonder if they are to be found in English?

Marie-Noyale said...

We just need a video now, from a nice Sunday mass!!

EG CameraGirl said...

I always enjoy reading the grave markers in a cemetery next to a church. It gives a sense of the kind of people that attend there. Nice post, Jacob.

Judy said...

You can learn a lot about a place by looking at its graveyard.

MansTouch said...

The color of the pictures look so vibrant. Beautiful shots.
____________________
Paris Photography Tours

Anonymous said...

To everyone who commented on the church and graveyard. Mt Canaan Missionary baptist church has been in my family for many generations. My 3rd Great Grandfather Jacob "Jake" McCormick was the founder of this church. Established in the 1890's. The original church burned down and was later destroyed again by a terrible storm in 1928. Thanks

"Photographers deal in things which are continually vanishing and when they have vanished there is no contrivance on earth which can make them come back again." — Henri Cartier-Bresson