After the Civil War, emancipated African Americans began to form their own settlements and communities. They were often anchored by a church, which served not only the spiritual needs of the families, but as a social, educational and cultural gathering place as well. One such settlement formed at Sandflat about five miles northwest of Athens. In 1896, a congregation of the Colored Methodist Episcopal Church (later Christian Methodist Episcopal Church) formed at Sandflat as Mt. Olive C.M.E. Church. The congregation organized under the direction of a Rev. Goodacre with ten charter members, couples Henry and Jenny Givens, Ed and Sylla Corbin, George W. and Nancy Nobles, James M. and Mary Sheppard, and Thad and Eliza Bethel. Records from the late 1800s and early 1900s show that members were active in their communities as teachers and trustees at area schools, including Grub and Eureka. Through support of local institutions, successful agriculture and land ownership, these families made a stable community for future generations. In 1911, Ed and Sylla Corbin sold one acre of their land in the James A. Naudain Survey to Mt. Olive C.M.E. Church trustees George W. Nobles and James M. Sheppard. The congregation met in a building near the Sandflat Cemetery for many years before building the second church house after 1926. Rev. G.W. Griffin served as the longest-tenured pastor. Behind the church, a pond was sometimes used for baptisms. The congregation typically had services Sunday mornings and evenings with singing and preaching. They were also active in revivals and outreach. The campus grew with an expanded sanctuary, dining hall, Sunday School classrooms and a pastor’s study. Though the historic buildings no longer stand, the impact of Mt. Olive’s faith and fellowship continues to be seen today in the area and beyond.