It was 1944 and, although the world raged in war, in the tranquil woods near Little Bahala Baptist Church, Faye Greenlee stood shivering in the warm blanket her mother, Eloise, wrapped around her arms to dry off. New to the community, the Greenlee family had begun attending the church where Faye made a personal profession of faith. Her proud parents and church family witnessed her baptism in the outdoor pool which had seen so many souls immerse themselves in Christ’s saving grace.
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As Faye watched with joy, her father, Jodie, entered the frigid, fresh water after her. Raised Methodist, he had decided to follow his Lord’s example in believer’s baptism and was baptized in the very same pool as his daughter and the hundreds of faithful followers of Jesus before them.
To this day, Faye Greenlee recalls that emotional moment she shared with her father, her mother, and all who attended.
For over 208 years, Little Bahala Baptist Church in Lincoln County has ministered to its community, from the settlers who built up the rural area to the deep-rooted families who still call it home.
In 1850, “the engineers of long ago” constructed the Little Bahala Baptismal Pool, sourced from a cold underground spring box — a round pipe three feet deep. The water originates from a spring head where water would rise from the ground.
Glen Foster, nephew of Faye Greenlee and member of First Baptist Church Natchez, has played a key role in sharing and preserving the history of “our part of the world at Little Bahala,” he said, “that my dad called Heaven.”
Generations of Fosters were baptized in the Little Bahala pool and cultivated the community through the church. As a child at his family’s gatherings, Glen Foster sat on the manual ice cream maker, keeping it steady as his father turned the handle, and listened as his relatives told countless stories of family pranks, mishaps and blessings.
“With my dad having lived to be 97,” said Glen Foster, “I took those last 10 years or so to write down hunting stories and camping-out-on-the-creek stories.” He also has restored his great-great-grandfather’s family cemetery in Copiah County and preserves his late father’s memoirs which describe miraculous moments when God saved his life nine times throughout the war.
A few years ago, Glen Foster’s cousin, Tom Foster, encouraged him to combine these stories and his research into a book. Despite initial hesitation, he soon agreed and, with some help from his son, began to compile these stories through his computer. The Historical Commission, located on Mississippi College’s campus, aided Glen Foster in the details of his research. He has since written three books for his family and donated a copy of the first to the Historical Commission.
“I guess that is my part of historic preservation, trying to save the knowledge my dad and a few others that were still alive had.”
Caretakers of the pool
In 1884, Little Bahala voted to purchase $8 worth of bricks and materials to reinforce the pool.
That same year, Foster’s great-grandparents, Daniel Marion and Mary Ann Foster, settled across the road from the spring and pool, and were saved at Little Bahala in a revival meeting. The couple were baptized in the pool, and it is believed that all 10 of their children were also baptized there throughout the years. With their convenient location and commitment to serve, the Fosters became the unofficial caretakers of the Little Bahala Baptismal Pool.
After Marion’s death, his son James Monroe Foster and wife Jessie (Glen Foster’s grandparents) moved back to the area with their family and became the next caretakers. The children of Monroe and Jessie restored the once dilapidated pool in 1980 through what Glen Foster described as “a labor of love.” The project was especially valuable to them as all 11 of the children had been baptized in the pool.
As Glen Foster and his cousin Tom Foster discussed the upcoming family reunion at Little Bahala, Tom suggested that the family apply for a state historical marker dedicated to the baptismal pool. Two months later at the 2025 reunion, the family unanimously voted to purchase and place the marker.
When Glen Foster started the process, he believed Little Bahala to be the oldest baptismal pool in Lincoln County. The Mississippi Department of Archives & History, however, found that the baptismal pool was likely the oldest in the entire state.
David Floyd, deacon of Little Bahala, was excited about the marker but expressed concern as the pool had been in disrepair for several years. He and several members of Little Bahala took it upon themselves to restore the pool. Members of the Foster family funded the project which could not have been done “if not for David Floyd and his hard-working Little Bahala Crew.”
“When I look at the baptismal pool, I see family,” said Glen Foster, who described five generations of Fosters who were all baptized in the “now historic baptismal pool. That is pretty special to me and our Foster family.”
Dedication ceremony
On April 18, a dedication ceremony was held for the unveiling of the state historical marker. Members of the church and community, and anyone touched by the history of Little Bahala, attended the ceremony.
Glen Foster spoke on the generational significance of the baptismal pool. Andy Delancy, pastor of Little Bahala, remarked on biblical baptism, symbols of new lives that were led to the Lord through Little Bahala’s faithfulness. Since its construction, 1,003 baptisms have been recorded in the baptismal pool, but it is likely that many more were unrecorded within the gaps of documented history. The last known baptism in the pool occurred in 1977.
In August of last year, Glen Foster’s cousin, Tom Foster, passed away before the sign could be placed. But without his encouragement, the historical marker likely would not have been built. In his honor, Tom’s wife, Anita Foster, unveiled the new marker of old legacies. During the ceremony, Glen Foster asked members of the audience to raise their hand if they were descendants of the Fosters or others who had been baptized in the pool, or if they themselves were baptized in the pool. Several attendees raised their hands.
David Williams, associational mission strategist for the Lincoln County Baptist Association, participated in the dedication.
“To think of the 1,000+ people who have gone through that baptismal pool is amazing,” Williams said. “The rich history of Little Bahala and the countless lives that have been changed as a result of the faithfulness of people who shared the message of Jesus is such an encouragement.
“Little Bahala is the third oldest church in Lincoln County. As I stood on that Saturday, I couldn’t help but praise God for His faithfulness throughout the centuries of time. Psalm 119:90 says, ‘God’s faithfulness continues through all generations; God established the earth, and it endures.’ So it is with the faithfulness of God’s people from one generation to another. May that baptismal pool be a testament to the faithfulness of God for many years to come. To God be the glory!”
In his closing remarks, Glen Foster stated, “We the Foster family, the Little Bahala Church family and the Little Bahala Community family all honor the cultural, historical and social legacies that have been passed down through generations. The Little Bahala Baptismal Pool has withstood the test of time with the help of those around it.
“We pay tribute to the church, the people who have made up the church and the beacon of light that the church has shown for over 208 years. We honor those who made their profession of faith in Christ and, in this very pool before us, demonstrated to the whole world their ‘salvation by death to sin and resurrection to new life in Christ’ (Romans 6:11).”
EDITOR’S NOTE — This story was written by Lindsey Carraway and originally published by the Baptist Record.
