Mt Pleasant Missionary Baptist Church & Cemetery

According to the book: "History of Franklin Association of United Baptist", by W.P. Throgmorton, Editor of the Baptist Banner, Benton, Illinois. 1880, the Mt. Pleasant Missionary Baptist Church was organized on July 11, 1829. The following were the charter members of the church: DAVID FARRIS; LOUISA FARRIS; JAMES EUBANKS; JOHN BRADLEY; MUMFORD WILLIAMS; JOHN SANDUSKY; JOHN BROWNING; NANCY BROWNING; W.R. BROWNING; ELIZABETH ANN BROWNING; POLLY KING; PATSY BROWNING; and JANE BROWNING.

ELDER ISAAC HERRIN and ROBERT MOORE were the Presbytery. The MOUNT PLEASANT MISSIONARY BAPTIST CHURCH was one of the seven churches that constituted and formed the Franklin Association of United Baptist'S. Originally called the Union United Baptist Association, the association was organized on October 16, 1841, and the seven churches represented were: Mount Pleasant - Franklin County, Benton - Franklin County (Today, this is the First Baptist Church of Benton, Illinois); Ten Mile Creek - Hamilton County (Today, this is the Ten Mile Baptist Church); Concord - Jefferson County (Extinct); Liberty - Franklin County ; Mount Zion - Williamson County (Today, this is the Davis Prairie Baptist Church) and Pleasant Grove - Franklin County (Named changed in 1966, East Fork Missionary Baptist Church, [Now Extinct})

Today, what was first organized as the Union United Baptist Association, that then changed its organization name to the Franklin Association of United Baptists, consisted of churches from throughout the various counties within the state of Illinois, and reported a total membership of 238. Today, this same association of baptist churches, is called the Franklin Baptist Association, consisting of 35 baptist congregations that are all located within the boundaries of Franklin County Illinois. From that initial 238 members, even with the decrease in population of the county, consists of 7500 church members as of 2016.

What started as early as 1829, through the spiritual belief of those charter members from the Mount Pleasant Missionary Baptist Church, still serves as a beacon reminder and spiritual guide to the Franklin County, Illinois, region and to the World. Today, the association is known locally as the Franklin Baptist Association, which on a state level it is affiliated with the Illinois Baptist State Association and on a national level it is a part of the 45,000 Baptist Churches within the United States that are associated with the Southern Baptist Convention.

It should be noted the spiritual fortitude and beliefs of those pioneer church members, still brightly shines and serves as a spiritual beacon on that little Franklin County hill, that still shines as a spiritual guide to the World.