"The deed for Long Hollow Church was made October 12, 1889, between Obediah and Mary Woodall, his wife, to the trustees consisting of T.A. Casto, Philip Ward, William A. Cadle, J.W. Woodall, and Obediah Woodall. The church being built and dedicated only a few months later on December 1, 1889.
The church continued to thrive for many years until the impact of the dwindling local population took its toll on attendance. A photo was taken in 1914 and appeared in the Jackson Herald, in which the attendance was listed as 54. One of the early pastors of this congregation was the Reverend Haught.  Since William Cadle, a Baptist minister himself, was listed among the trustees, it may be assumed that he was the founding minister of this congregation. One of many congregations that he established and pastored in the region. The last service recalled being held at Long Hollow Baptist Church was during the second World War, when Reverend Fred Harmon (from Wolfe Valley Baptist Church in Union District of Mason County) held a revival service."¹ 

Early photo of the church - the cemetery is located up the hill to the right

The altar table in the early years - note the
pipe for the potbelly stove to the right in
the photo

"My great-grandfather, Obediah Woodall, donated the land & helped build the church, pews & altar. I have the deed for it. I have an article written about a reunion held at the church some time ago. I visited it 3 years ago and was quite dismayed about its condition. I was told by a lady that the pews & altar were taken to another church in the area. I have a picture of the congregation attending a baptism in a river in that area. Also, I have a picture of the church before the vandalism.
My great-grandparents, Obediah & Mary Jeffries Woodall and another great-grandmother, Malinda Martin Norris are buried there. Although, Alice Woodall, the daughter of Obediah & Mary, is on the tombstone, she is buried in Vinton, Ohio.
My great great grandfather, James Boyd Woodall, is buried on the Woodall homestead, now owned by Carroll Williams. I have a picture of his tombstone, which I took when Mr. Williams was kind enough to let me visit the homestead. There is also a Richard Woodall buried there."

Mary Jane Woodall Swartz

Another early photo

Early-1900's baptism with the Long Hollow congregation - it is likely Rev. Wm. Cadle officiating, based on the timeframe. There are also individuals identified in the crowd that were known to be members of Wolfe Valley Baptist Church, a hand full of miles west of Long Hollow. It could well be that this was a joint baptism service being held for at least two or three of the Baptist churches that Rev. Cadle served in the area at the time.

Photo from the spring of 2007, taken by WVCPA volunteers. Sadly,
the church building is looking in pretty poor condition, and continuing
to deteriorate.  Oh, to be able to hear the praise music wafting from
its rafters once again...

Photos to the right also from the spring of 2007 - taken of the >>
interior. The floorboards have been ripped up for firewood, the
windows have been knocked out, and the door kicked in, with
obvious remains of less than holy celebrations going on...

The condition of Long Hollow Road appears to have improved since the last report, but would recommend visiting  the cemetery during dry periods.  The only problem encountered was on the return trip, at the intersection of Long Hollow Road and Foster Ridge Road.  Long Hollow Road forms a Y at the intersection, turning left onto Foster Ridge Road is a much steeper incline, loose gravel caused my vehicle to spin slightly,the problem may possibly be avoided by turning right on Foster Ridge Road, then find a place to turn.

If traveling from Charleston, West Virginia, exit I-77 at Ripley, exit 138, turn left on Rt. 62 South, travel .9 mile to Lower Parchment Valley Road CR 30/5.  Turn left onto Lower Parchment Valley Road, travel approximately 3.2 miles to  Parchment Valley Road, CR 30, turn left onto Parchment Valley Road, travel .4 mile to Foster Ridge Road, turn right, follow Foster Ridge Road for 3.2 miles, turn right, this is Long Hollow Road, but no sign is present.  It could be a bit confusing near the former Foster Chapel Church, Pickle bean Run is nearly straight ahead, Foster Ridge Road continues around a sharp curve to the left. (follow the most gravel).  Once the turn onto Long Hollow Road is made, travel .8 mile, the Long Hollow Church is on the right, it is possible to park in the road to the church.  The cemetery is located on a plateau to the right of the church, which may not be available as a land mark in the near future.  The road forks near the church and a small creek is near the road. These  may be a more appropriate land marks, the cemetery is located approximately 800' up a steep embankment on the right side of the small creek .8 mile from Foster Ridge Road."

During their visit, they took photos of the cemetery (check the WVCPA cemetery section for Jackson County soon for those!)
and the following photos of the church building:

 ¹ Paraphrased from an article by  published in 1990 "Jackson County West Virginia Past and Present" by the Jackson County Historical Society