Established in 1805, Poplar Springs Baptist Church, the "Mother Church" of the Tugalo Baptist Assn., began in May of that year. Some of the first members were Joseph Chandler, Thomas Wilkins, John Nail, John Mullins, and James Jackson. John Cleveland, Thomas Gilbert, and Francis Calloway, Jr., were early pastors. Many landowners and slaves were members. The slave cemetery is to the right of the church on the Yow estate. On Sept. 12, 1818, delegates from 13 churches met here to form the Tugalo Baptist Assn. of the Southern Baptist Convention. The present auditorium was erected in 1873. The educational building was built in 1955.