Durant Chapel Baptist Church

In 1909 plans began to formulate to found a church at the crossroads of the road from Stockton, the road to Daphne, the road to Hurricane and the road toward Bay Minette.  We now know these as highways 225, 138 and 86.  Mr. and Mrs. A. B. Steadham donated land for the church in 1909.  In 1910 Durant Chapel Missionary Baptist Church was founded. That year, Mr. G. W. Durant donated lumber to construct the first church in the Crossroads community.  The church building was also used as a school house.  The first trustees were George Washington Durant, J.C. Broughton and J. W. Quinley.

 

Like many churches in 1910, Durant Chapel was served by preachers who rotated among churches.  W. J. Hobbs and A. D. Duck, a Methodist, were two of the first preachers.  The believers worshipped in such harmony that the church was sometimes called Union Church according to Horace Duck, the son of A. D. Duck.  During the time Brother Duck preached at Durant Chapel, services were held two Sundays a month.  Baptist services on one of the Sundays and Methodist services the other.  Sunday School classes were held each Sunday. This continued for many years until the death of Brother Duck in 1949.  At the time of Brother Duck’s death many of the Methodists joined the Baptist believers.

 

The congregation worshipped in the original building until 1949 when a wooden sanctuary and a three story educational building replaced it.  In 1976 these buildings were dismantled to make way for the present brick structures.  The most recent building program began in 2005 and added  a 2,400 square foot fellowship hall, additional rest rooms, a new Baptistry and remodeling the sanctuary.  

 

In 1951 Durant Chapel aligned with the Southern Baptist Convention.

 

On January 19, 1952 Roy Arant and his wife, Helen C. Arant deeded a contiguous parcel of land to the trustees of the church.  It was specified that the property be used for a parsonage or cemetary.  In 1961 the church mortgaged this parcel in order to build a parsonage. The parsonage is still on site, just East of the present sanctuary.  On August 27, 1957 the heirs of Herbert Thornton deeded another contiguous parcel to Durant Chapel Baptist Church and on November 5, 1963 Cliff Eddins and his wife, Rachel deeded a small piece of property to the church.