In 1864, a road southward from Wooley's Bridge (Etowah River) crossed the road near this point and ran to Van Wert (Rockmart) and Dallas. This was the route of Union Major General James B. McPherson's Army of the Tennessee (XVth and XVIth Corps), the right wing of forces under Sherman moving from Kingston to the Dallas front, May 23 and 24. At that time, the church stood at the northwestern angle of the crossroads. Another edifice was erected on the site of the present structure, eastward.