The Prosperity Baptist Church located in the small community of Ramsey in Dallas County is being nominated to the National Register of Historic Places under Criterion A and C with local significance , as the last remaining element of the original town of Ramsey and as the best extant example of a Plain Traditional church building in the community. It is also being nominated under Criteria Consideration A: Religious Properties , not for its religious merit but rather for its architectural value. Since its construction in 1904, the Prosperity Baptist Church has held continuous Sunday worship services.

The Ramsey Community was settled around 1845 by the Culbreath family and was known as the Redbud Community, probably due to the Redbud trees. The Culbreath family were bear hunters and after hunting declined, they moved to other areas. The second known settlers were the Wyatts. Mrs. Wyatt was the first person to be buried in the Ramsey Community. In 1852 the Dedmans emigrated from Alabama. R. D. Dedman is the only known charter member of Prosperity Baptist Church. Other pioneers were the Jones, Sissons, Proctors, Wheelers, Nutts and Smiths.

Timber was king in the Ramsey area. The land was covered in giant Oak, Gum and Pine. Several trees were cut measuring 20 feet in circumference at the ground. The area also grew cotton. J. B. Wheeler operated the first cotton gin and gristmill and powered both with horses. The first timber in the area sold for commercial use was by J. B. Wheeler in 1889. Timber is still the major enterprise in Ramsey and Dallas County.

Ramsey never had a permanent railroad; however, due to its vast resources of timber a rail line was constructed in 1893 by the Fordyce Lumber Company to haul timber from the deep woods. Fordyce Lumber Company later sold to Georgia Pacific. The first southern pine plywood mill was constructed by Georgia Pacific in Fordyce and is currently the major employer in the Fordyce area.

R. N. Parham was a plantation owner and was the first to establish a mercantile business in Ramsey. He also built the first saw mill and steam operated cotton gin. Frank Barnes sawed the first board at the mill. Today, the Barnes family owns several acres of timber, a small saw mill and the Fordyce Picture Frame factory. Squire Ramsey ran the first post office in the Redbud community. The Redbud Community was later renamed Ramsey, in honor of Squire Ramsey. Today, Ramsey is served by a Fordyce rural route. There are no commercial businesses in Ramsey today.

Two of the early churches that settlers attended were the Macedonia Baptist Church and the Redbud Methodist Church. The Macedonia Church was several miles from the Ramsey Community and the Redbud Methodist was in the Redbud (Ramsey) community. Not far from the Ramsey Community were the Temperance Hill Methodist Church and the Salem Presbyterian Church. Temperance Hill Methodist Church still holds services once a month. The Salem Church was organized in 1895 by Reverend J. M. Brown but later disbanded and was razed in 1924. The history of the Redbud Methodist Church is unknown, but the church does not exist today. The Macedonia Baptist Church still holds services.

In 1902 W. E. and Callie Hawkins purchased land for a church from Fordyce Lumber Company. With the help of a home missionary named Reverend Southalland, along with others, they organized the Prosperity Baptist Church and built the church. The Hawkins deeded the land to the Church in 1908. R. D. Dedman is the only known charter member of Prosperity Baptist Church. Since its formation in 1904, services have been held each Sunday at the church. In addition to holding church services, it serves as a community center and voting precinct for Dallas County. Prosperity Baptist Church is the oldest structure remaining in the Ramsey Community.

Today, the Prosperity Baptist Church stands as the last remaining structure from the Ramsey community, and as an example of a Plain-Traditional style building. More importantly is the social significance of the building. Not only is the building important because of its association with the religious role it has served the community, but also to its use as a community center and voting precinct for Dallas County.

Prosperity Baptist Church is being nominated to the National Register of Historic Places with local significance under Criterion A as the only extant building remaining from the early years of the Ramsey community and Criterion C with local significance as the best example of Plain-Traditional architecture in the community of Ramsey. It also falls under Criteria Consideration A: Religious Properties .