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Baltimore's Historical Black
Churches
Bethel AME Church
Founded 1785 by Rev. Daniel Coker, it is the
oldest independent black institution in the city, yet very
current administering to the needs of the West Baltimore
community, it features a stunning Afrocentric mural in the
sanctuary; one of the largest AME congregations in the nation; a
second church is being built in Baltimore county; Sunday worship
-- 7am, 9am, and 11am; 1300 Druid Hill Avenue; 410-523-4273
Another Version In
1850, Baltimore held the largest denominational variety of
African American churches in the country. On the eve of the
Civil War, a reporter for New York’s Weekly Anglo-African
newspaper wrote…“No city where I have been can boast of better
churches among our people. Baltimore churches are not a whit
behind, either in beauty or attendance for our people are a
church going people.”
The Bethel A.M.E. congregation began as a prayer group, the
Colored Methodist Society, in 1787. Ten years later, the group
became the Bethel Free African Society (BFAS), led by “prayer
leaders” Jacob Forte and Caleb Hyland. In 1801 a black preacher
named Daniel Coker joined the BFAS prayer group. Coker was an
eloquent speaker, educator, and philosopher, and by 1810 became
the head of a school that provided formal education to blacks.
He became the first black Marylander to publish an abolitionists
treatise, A Dialogue between a Virginian and an African
Minister. In 1811 he became the first “official” pastor for
Bethel, and the church became known as the African Methodist
Bethel Church of Baltimore City with a roster of over 600
members.
In 1816 Bethel sent six
delegates to Philadelphia, led by Coker, to help establish the
African Methodist Episcopal Church, the first denomination in
the world to form on account of race. Coker was elected the
first bishop of the A.M.E. Church by conference delegates,
however, he declined and the next day Reverend Richard Allen was
elected the first Bishop of the A.M.E. Church. Coker became the
church’s first missionary to move to Liberia, West Africa.
In 1847, Bethel became the
first A.M.E church to play instrumental music during services.
Bethel, then located a half block away from today’s City Hall,
and helped organize the first conference of Free Negroes in
1852. In 1910, the church moved to its Druid Hill and Lanvale
streets location. In the 1950s and 60s, clergy from Bethel
participated in the protests against Jim Crow laws. Reverend
Harrison Bryant, Pastor (1948-64), and Reverend Frank M. Reid II
(1964-68) became involved in national and international civil
rights activism. Rev. Reid marched with Martin Luther King, Jr.
in Alabama. At the age of 85, Bryant was incarcerated for
protesting at the South African Embassy in Washington, D.C. 1300
Druid Hill Avenue, Baltimore, MD 21217
BaltimoreFaithOrganizations
Douglas Memorial Community Church
Douglass Memorial Community
Church split from Bethel A.M.E. forming its own congregation in
1925. Long time pastor Dr. Marion Bascom became intimately
involved in civil rights. A Baltimore amusement park—Gwynn Oak,
which was segregated until August 1963—became a flashpoint of
the national Civil Rights Movement. Speaking about his
involvement in the July 4, 1963 Gwynn Oak Park protests, Pastor
Bascom stated:
“I am the one who said all
along I will not go to jail, but I will help others who go. But
this morning I said to myself, I have nothing to lose but my
chains. So if I do not preach at my pulpit Sunday morning, it
might be the most eloquent sermon I ever preached.”
Designed by Thomas
Balbirnie in the Greek Revival style as the Madison Avenue
Methodist Episcopal Church in 1857, the Douglas Memorial
Community Church is one of the oldest public buildings in the
area. Granite stairs and iron railings lead to the upper level
main entrance. The brick columns sit on cast-iron bases and have
a fluted cement stucco finish from the base to their Corinthian
sandstone capitals. Several gas fixtures can still be found
here.
Red sandstone or
“brownstone” sills and Greek Revival bracketed cornices trim the
doorways and window openings. Similar styles are repeated in the
interior chancel and balconies. Reportedly built and installed
by E. & G. Hook in 1866, the organ stands with many of its
original pipes. The Narthex floor is surfaced with a
multi-colored ceramic tile. The “undercroft” was designed to
seat 600 while the sanctuary seats 1,000.
BaltimoreFaithOrganizations
Enon Baptist Church
Founded in 1893, Enon is in on the cutting
edge of community involvement and development. It recently
founded the Harlem Park Academy which provides disciplined
schooling and a healthy dose of math and science for over 100
6th, 7th, and 8th graders in a public, but private-like school;
Edmondson and Schroeder Avenues; 410-728-1490.
First Baptist Church
Founded 1836 by Moses Clayton, who was
formerly enslaved and became a lay minister; the original church
was built by slaves and still contains artifacts such as
pictures, newspapers, manumission papers and other memorabilia
on display; Sunday worship -- 11 am; 25 N. Caroline Street;
410-675-2333.
Lafayette Square Church
Also known as "Metropolitan United
Methodist Church"; this church can be traced to the
leadership of Truman Pratt (founder of Orchard Street Church)
when he led prayer meetings in 1825; Sunday worship -- 10am;
1121 W. Lafayette Street; 410-523-1366.
Leadenhall Baptist Church
Founded in 1873, the church stands as the
second oldest black church edifice in Baltimore and is one of
the largest; has many notable community outreach programs in
South Baltimore; Sunday worship -- 10am; 101 Leadenhall Street;
410-539-9334.
Macedonia Baptist Church
Macedonia Baptist Church
started out in the loft of a Vincent Alley stable. Much of the
credit for founding the church goes to W. Charles Lawson,
Leander Jones and others, all former members of Union Church,
who started with Sunday school and a prayer meeting in 1874. On
September 29, 1874, a meeting was called to organize their new
church. The church grew rapidly. First they remodeled the
stable, replaced the floor and then installed seats.
At the meeting after
prayers by Brother W. H. Hamer, sixteen members of Union Church
presented a letter of commendation. Mr. Weishampel then
presented and explained a Baptist manual which was unanimously
adopted. Several prominent religious leaders from Old West
Baltimore addressed the body including Rev. G.W. Sanderlin,
pastor of Franklin Square Church, and Rev. Harvey Johnson of
Union (Baptist) Church. On November 5, 1874, Macedonia was
recognized by a council representing nine churches. 718
Lafeyette Avenue, Baltimore, MD 21217
BaltimoreFaithOrganizations
Metropolitan United Methodist Church
Also known as Lafayette Square Church,
Metropolitan United can be traced to the leadership of Truman
Pratt, founder of the Orchard Street Church. Pratt led prayer
meetings here in 1825. -- 1121 W. Lanvale Street 410-523-1366
Orchard Street Church/Urban League
A former slave, Truman Pratt founded this
church in 1825. It was known to be a key stop
on the Underground Railroad on the way to freedom in northern
states and Canada (tours by appt.). No longer an active church.
It houses the Baltimore Urban League.; 512 Orchard Street; Urban
League
Orchard Street Church was
founded in 1825 by Truman Le Pratt, a former slave of Maryland
Governor John Eager Howard. The congregation originally gathered
in Le Pratt’s home, the only place of worship for African
Americans in the community. The congregation grew quickly and
built Orchard Street United Methodist Church in 1837, formerly
known as the Metropolitan Methodist Episcopal Church.
The church provided
housing, jobs, medical care and spiritual guidance to African
Americans and others seeking freedom and equality. Closing its
doors in 1970, the church remained vacant for 22 years until it
reopened as the headquarters for the Baltimore Urban League
(founded 1924).
Under the leadership of
president and League CEO Roger Lyons, the structure was
completely renovated. The League, under the leadership of
President J. Howard Henderson, continues the church’s original
mission: to advocate and provide social services for those in
need. The site hosts several historical re-enactments that
include excerpts from Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. sermons and
Harriett Tubman helping slaves on the way to freedom. The
building currently houses the Mt. Sinai congregation on Sundays
and several after school programs. 512 Orchard Street,
Baltimore, MD 21201 -- 410-467-6400
BaltimoreFaithOrganizations
Payne Memorial AME Church
Founded 1897, Payne featured an eloquent
speaker who has subsequently become a bishop, namely, the
Reverend Dr. Vashti M. McKenzie, who has written several books;
1714-1716 Madison Avenue.
Sharp Street Memorial United Methodist
Church
Founded 1787; founded a day school for
African American children in 1797; the first building was
acquired at 112-116 Sharp Street in 1802, and was the first
church building owned by African Americans; it is the
"Mother Church" of African American Methodist in
Maryland; in 1825 thirteen members were pioneers in the
settlement of Liberia; in 1848 Prince Hall Masons resided at te
Church; 1967, Centenary Bible Institute, the predecessor of
Morgan State University was established at the church; moved to
its current location in 1898. The church also owns Mt. Auburn
cemetery. A NATIONAL HISTORIC LANDMARK Sunday worship 11am; 1206
Etting Street at Dolphin; 410-523-7200.
Another
Version -- Named in honor of its original location, Sharp
Street Memorial United Methodist Church descends from the first
black congregation in Baltimore. In 1797, blacks gathered at
112-116 Sharp Street where the Maryland Society for the
Abolition of Slavery opened the Baltimore African Academy, the
City’s first prominent day school for blacks. The Society sold
the property including the lot and building in 1802 to the black
congregation. The church then constructed a new building on the
property, which quickly became a community hub where people
gathered to worship, discuss abolitionism and African
colonization, raise money to purchase the freedom of slaves,
hear advocates speak, and receive schooling.
In 1864, the
church hosted the first regional conference for African American
Methodists, resulting in the first appointment of black pastors
and creation of a black governing board. Following its
congregation into northwest Baltimore, the church erected the
present building designed by Alphonsus Bieler in 1898. In 1921,
Arthur M. Segoin, one of the few black architects in the
country, designed the adjacent Community House, the first of its
kind in Baltimore.
Throughout the
late 19th century, this congregation ran the Sharp Street
School, assisted in founding the Centenary Biblical Institute
(becoming Morgan State College) and a city-wide ministerial
alliance.
The church also
operated an intelligence (employment) bureau, and founded Mt.
Auburn Cemetery, one of the few early African American
cemeteries in Baltimore, and where hundreds of prominent African
Americans are buried including Dr. Lillie Carroll Jackson,
William A. Hawkins, and John H. Murphy, founder of The
Afro-American Newspapers. In the 20th century, many civil
rights activities found a home at Sharp Street Memorial
Church.-- Baltimore, MD 21217
BaltimoreFaithOrganizations
St Francis Xavier catholic Church/St.
Francis Academy
Established in 1864, it is the oldest African
American Catholic Church in the nation; the high school academy
is operated by the Oblate Sisters of providence; 95% of recent
graduates went on to college; Caroline Street & Oliver
Street; Saturday and Sunday worship 7:30am; 10am; & 12:15pm;
410-727-3103
St. Peter Claver Roman Catholic Church
Founded 1888, it is the first parish in the
world dedicated to St. Peter claver, Apostle of Slaves; the
church also runs one of the oldest private elementary schools
for African Americans in the country. Saturday worship 4pm;
Sunday worship 8am & 11:30am; 1546 N. Freemont Avenue;
410-669-0512. Trinity Baptist Church
Founded in June 1888, Trinity Baptist
Church sprouted from a Sunday school in East Baltimore and in
1920 moved into the former St. Paul Lutheran Church building.
Its founder, Reverend Dr. Gamett Russell Waller, started with 14
members. Trinity Baptist grew to become an influential
congregation which helped pioneer a kindergarten teachers
training program, an evening training school for ministers, and
the Baptist Ministers’ Conference. Trinity also became integral
in the Baltimore Civil Rights Movement. Dr. Waller was
Maryland’s representative to the Niagara Movement, a national
civil rights organization founded in 1905 and spearheaded by Dr.
W.E.B. Du Bois that predated the NAACP.
Dr. Waller who co-founded Baltimore’s NAACP
and the Colored YMCA with Dr. Harvey Johnson and Mr. S.S.
Booker, a Trinity Baptist lay member, was 11th General President
of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, and its first General Secretary.
The 7th pastor, Reverend William C. Calhoun, Sr., established
the first ecumenical TV broadcast ministry, Lift Every Voice,
portraying the diversity of worship in black churches in 1980,
and lasting nearly 25 years on Baltimore’s WMAR TV. The church
is aligned with the Progressive National Baptist Convention and
the American Baptist Churches, USA. 1600 Druid Hill Avenue,
Baltimore, MD 21217
BaltimoreFaithOrganizations
Union Baptist
Church
Founded in
1852, Union Baptist became a center for the civil
rights struggle.
Its pastor was also the founder of the Colored
Convention, which evolved into today's United
Baptist Association.
Union Baptist moved to Druid Hill Avenue in 1905.
The church, especially under the leadership of Dr.
Harvey Johnson, led many civil rights initiatives
including the creation of the Mutual Brotherhood of
Liberty, and helped co-found the Niagara Movement
and the NAACP Baltimore Chapter. During the 1960s,
mostly under the direction of Dr. Vernon Dobson,
Union Baptist Church became a meeting place for many
civil rights activities including Baltimore’s
participation in the 1963 March on Washington.
1219 Druid Hill Avenue; 410-523-6880
AfricanAmericanReligiousVenues
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By 1860 the
African American community thrived on the foundation
of more than 16 churches and missions throughout
Baltimore. By 1900, more than 12 African American
churches resided in Old West Baltimore alone. They
helped give birth to and nurture almost every civic
institution in the community: Provident Hospital,
the YMCA and YWCA, the Du Bois Circle, Niagara
Movement—Baltimore Chapter, Morgan College, the
Young People Movement, and many more. Within the
walls of the church, a sense of security hovered,
eclipsing Baltimore’s often racist society.
BaltimoreFaithOrganizations
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The White Masters of the
World
From
The World and Africa, 1965
By W. E. B. Du Bois
W. E. B. Du Bois’
Arraignment and Indictment of White Civilization
(Fletcher)
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Ancient African Nations
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If you like this page consider making a donation
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Negro Digest /
Black World
Browse all issues
1950
1960
1965
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____ 2005
Enjoy!
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The Death of Emmett Till by Bob Dylan
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The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll
/
Only a Pawn in Their Game
Rev. Jesse Lee Peterson Thanks America for
Slavery
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The Journal of Negro History issues at Project Gutenberg
The
Haitian Declaration of Independence 1804
/
January 1, 1804 -- The Founding of
Haiti
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updated !9 March 2010 |
