Little River Baptist Church is a historic Southern Baptist church located near Jenkinsville in Fairfield County, South Carolina. Established in 1768 and formally constituted in 1770, it holds the distinction of being the first Baptist church in Fairfield County. Originally known as Gibson’s Meeting House, it was founded by Jacob Gibson, who also operated what may have been the county’s first free school in conjunction with the church.

The current church building, constructed between 1845 and 1857, is a one-story rectangular clapboard structure that exemplifies Greek Revival architecture with Gothic Revival details on the front façade. Notable features include:

• A front gabled roof supported by four octagonal columns on a raised platform.
• Two front doors, each topped with a lancet arch containing wood and glass tracery and a central keystone.
• A semi-elliptical louvered vent centered in the pediment.
• An interior gallery on three sides, supported by columns, with original straight-back wooden pews and hand-carved woodwork, including a ceiling rosette from which hangs the original brass chandelier adorned with glass hurricane shades and prisms.

In the early 1950s, a wing was added to accommodate Sunday School rooms and kitchen facilities. The church was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on April 13, 1972, recognizing its architectural and historical significance.

In 1855, the congregation decided to build a new house of worship, and J. G. O’Neal donated the site for the current church building, located approximately 2.5 miles from the original Gibson’s Meeting House. The new sanctuary was completed under the supervision of Jacob Bookman and dedicated in May 1858.

During the Civil War, Northern soldiers removed decorative elements from the church, including chains of gold leaves and crystal prisms from the chandelier, as well as the silver communion set.

In 1915, the congregation divided between the communities of Monticello and Jenkinsville, leading to the abandonment of the Little River church building. It was occasionally used for funerals and homecomings, and in the 1930s, the African American Episcopal congregation of St. Barnabas used the building while their sanctuary was being rebuilt after a fire.

The church is situated at 343 Little River Church Road, Jenkinsville, SC 29065, approximately 3.8 miles north of Jenkinsville on South Carolina Highway 213.