Following is a brief history of this church and its people as researched by Garrett and Brown of Maury County:

The hills and hollows along Valley Creek once rang with joyous soul-stirring Baptist hymns, but today most people are unaware that New Ramia Baptist Church ever existed and flourished. Only a mound of brick in an overgrown cemetery is all that remains. The Valley Creek road leads from the Pulaski Pike to Culleoka, about 10 miles south of Columbia and the cemetery is about 1/2 mile from the main highway on a hill across from the Tanyard Hollow Road.

There was a church there. although little of its history has been preserved. On November 11, 1825 John Cannon deeded land to Isaac Butcher, John Richardson and Richard Hewett, "trustees of the Baptist Church known as Ramia", adjoining where Cannon lived on Fountain Creek and Elisha Pullens' spring and including a new meeting house known as New Ramia. Witnesses to the deed were Wiley P. Richardson and Henry B. Cannon. Wiley Richardson served in the War of 1812.

The name came from the Bible - Joshua XVII:25 and I Samuel 1:19. Through the years the pronunciation and spelling were corrupted into New Ramia, or New Ramey or even Neuramie. In a short biography of William Garrett of Southport, he is listed as being one of the first members of "the Free Will Baptist Church at Newrona".

Allen Richardson (1797-1865, War of 1812), served the New Ramia Church as minister for more than 20 years. It is thought the church went into decline after his death in 1865. The membership was absorbed by the Friendship Church at Culleoka.

Among early settlers were the Richardsons. This family sent three sons and three sons-in-law Into the War of 1812. The Pulaski Pike which was called the Great Road or Big Road in the early days saw many soldiers of the wars traveling on it. Many quenched their thirst at Allen Richardson's spring.

As both armies and guerrilla bands preyed on the residents during the 1861-1865 conflict, some believe the-church was burned, others say it was only vandalized. In a diary is recorded, "fighting at Stiversville" September 6, 1864.

Visitors may today read names on ancient stones giving indisputable proof that it was a place of worship for our pioneers. This church became a part of the Duck River Missionary Baptist before 1849.

Jill K. Garrett
James Barrow Brown, Jr.