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By ELDER RUSSELL THOMPSON

Five Forks Regular Baptist Church has a short, but interesting history. It is located, as the name implies, at Five Forks, about seven miles southeast of Sperryville, on a line equi-distant from Washington afad Woodville.

The church group first met, for about two years, in the Frytown school house at Chestnut Forks, near Washington. About the year 1923 the church was organized and began holding their meetings in a grove near the present site of the church. First members were Mrs. Christie N ethers, Mr. James A. Burke, Mr. and Mrs. Ben F, Hawkins, Elder and Mrs. Warren Corbin-and Miss Frances Corbin. t

4 I > While meeting in the Frytown school house one new member was received, namely, Mrs. Harry Williams, who was the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Frank Compton, Washington, Va. Mrs. Williams was called to her eternal reward a short time after her profession of faith in ber Saviour.

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Elder Corbin was instrumental in having a church erected about the year 1926, on land given by Mr. and Mrs. Luther A. Wayland, and was pastor of the church from the time of its organization until December, 1950.y Elder Russell Thompson, of Washington, D.C., is the present pastor.

When the church was built the members and their friends joined in donating much of the lumber and other material, also gave of their time and labor toward the construction of the church house. In addition to Mr. and Mrs. Wayland, who gave the land on which the church now stands, the following should be mentioned as having taken a large part in the work:

Mr. Marcus Bruce and family; Mr. Will Armentrout and family; Mr. J. Hill O’Bannon; Mr. James A. Burke and family; Mr. J. M. Long and family; Mr. Robert Nethers and family and many others.

The first trustees were Messrs Ben Hawkins, L. A. Wayland, Marcus Bruce and Warren Corbin.

Mention shoyld be made that many of the present membership were formerly members of the Hazel Regular Baptist Church, which was disbanded when the U. S. Government took over the land on The Hazel for a park; and many are descendants of those who moved to Five Forks from The Hazel.

It is notable that a large number of the members are descendants of Mr. and Mrs. James A. Burke, who in 1949 and 1950 were called home after a long and useful life in their community.

Five Forks Church is a member of the Ketdcton Association of Regular Baptists, which has a history dating back about one hundred and eighty years.\ j: