Lilburn, located in the western part of the county on the Southern Rail Line, was established around 1891 when the railroad was completed, although it was not chartered until 1910, and officially incorporated in 1955.

Early settlers of the town were the families of:  Carroll, Nash, Jordan, Brownlee, Harmon, Kennerly, McDaniel, Young, Dickens, Pickens, Mathews, Kelley, and Garner.

Camp Creek Primitive Baptist Church and cemetery is located just east of the town of Lilburn on Main Street-Camp Creek Road at the corner of Arcado Road.   The first conference of this church was held in May, 1823.  The charter members were Martha Adams, Elizabeth Hale, Lucy Cannimore, Sarah Cannimore, Prodence Wells, Frances Landers, Susan Lee, Ridda McKinney, Mary Ward, Rachel Williamson, John Price, Thomas Mason, Tyric Landers, James Wells, and James Hale.

Corinth Baptist church is located in the Mountain Park area of Gwinnett, in the Garner District.  It was organized in 1913, and the original members were:  Mrs. M.B. Pounds, Wesley Knight, Mrs. Wesley Knight, Posey Phillips, Mrs. Posey Phillips, Pink Phillips, Mrs. Pink Phillips, Mrs. Harris, Bertha Brooks, and Mrs. and Mrs. Brooks.     The meeting house was erected soon after the church was organized.   This church is still in use by the congregation but is being sold to a Christian school as of December 1999.   The congregation is relocating to Loganville.

Harmony Grove Methodist Church  and cemetery is located on Harmony Grove Road which runs between Highway 29 (Lawrenceville Highway) and Rockbridge Road.  It was organized in 1882 under the pastorate of Rev. J.R. Mayson.   The original white frame building was torn down in the 1980s and a new sanctuary building built to replace it.

Friendship Primitive Baptist Church was organized on May 25, 1833 by Kinchin Rambo, E. Dyer, John Hale, F. Parker, J. Reeves and John Bankston.  Early  members included Margaret Lanier, Sarah Waters, Mary Stanford, Jane Dilda, Permelia Fowler, Matilda Strickland, Elizabeth Vaughan, Elizabeth York, Lucretia, Austin, Eliza Austin, Nancy Gillam, Elizabeth Dilda, Vicy Dilda, Adeline Spence, Susana Jenkins, Frances Garrett, Jemima Jenkins, Mary Osburn, Rebecca Jenkins, Nancy Jenkins, Dennis Dilda, Allen Jenkins, Susan Spence, Judith Langley, Willie Bankston, Mary Bankston, Permelia Bankston, Nancy Johnson, Claburn Vaughan, J. J. Austin, Arthur Dilda, David Jenkins, Reubin Jenkins, Daniel Jenkins, Wm. Strickland, Lodge Langley, Abram Garrett, Sampson Lanier, John Lawrence, Lewis Jenkins, Lawrence Bankston, Thomas Johnson.

The existing building was the third, built in 1886 and has been enlarged at least once since then.  It is still an active church.   It is located on Dogwood Road, just off Five Forks Trickum Road between Lilburn and Lawrenceville.  Sadly,  it is in a narrow triangle of Dogwood, Five Forks-Trickum and Oak Road and is rapidly being surrounded by high density single family subdivisions and commercial businesses and stores.

Yellow River Baptist Church, located on Five Forks-Trickum Road,  was organized in 1871, with the following charter members:  Mary Garner, Martha Cochran, Sarah E. Ragan, Jessie H. Ragan, Sarah Nash, Mary Lee, Margaret Nash, John W. Nash, Termelia Ford, Lucinda Nash, Mary Brown, Lewis Nash, Thurston Cain, and John Cain.  The first pastor was T. E. Kennerly.

The first building was erected in 1871, and was replaced by a stone building in 1947.  A large brick complex has since been added to the stone building, so that it is barely visible from the road.  (Follow link above for more history and photos of the church).

Lilburn today is still a quaint little village, called "Old Town Lilburn" on the railroad.  It has its own city government and police department.  The old stores are now antique and gift shops.  In town are many lovely Victorian homes.  Just outside the town itself  are residential and commercial areas, and Lilburn schools are considered some of the best in metro Atlanta.

Be sure to tour Lilburn photographs and vintage postcards in our GWINNETT COUNTY PHOTO ALBUM!

Sources:
History of Gwinnett County, 1818-1960, Volume II, by James C. Flanigan, copyright 1959

Dynamic Gwinnett, text by Bill Kirby, copyright 1993.

Photographs on this page ©2008 Pat Sabin

Historic Photographs of Lilburn at Vanishing Georgia

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