Gates County

Gates County, situated in the northeastern part of North Carolina, shares its border with Virginia. According to the 2020 census, the county has a population of 10,478 individuals, making it one of the least populous counties in North Carolina. The county seat is Gatesville.
During the year 1806, the first Baptist church in Gates County, known as Middle Swamp Baptist Church, was founded by white settlers. This event coincided with the Second Great Awakening, a religious revival that took place in the southern region of the United States after the American Revolution. Baptist and Methodist preachers played a significant role in leading this movement. In 1811, Savages United Methodist Church, the oldest Methodist Church in Gates County, was established. Both denominations preached to both enslaved blacks and white residents, and they welcomed slaves and free blacks as members, and occasionally even as preachers.