Old Hopewell Primitive Baptist Spring

Old Hopewell Primitive Baptist Spring

In his interview with the Turner County Project, 94-year-old Donzelle Collins recalled his earliest memories of the spring near Old Hopewell Primitive Baptist Church. He was about six or seven when he and the other children, who grew up attending church there, would quietly slip out during services to visit the spring. The church’s seating was divided—men on one side, women on the other, and children in the middle—and no one dared to move or speak. Still, the temptation to sneak away was strong. The children would run down to the spring, lie on the ground, and drink straight from the bubbling water. There was no cup or container, just the earth and the clear water rising naturally from below. The spring fascinated them; as Donzelle remembered, it was rare and magical to see water bubbling up from the ground like that.

Sami Mastrario, Turner County Project

https://turnercountyproject.com/2025/10/08/donzelle-collins/

October 4, 2025