First African Baptist Church Collection (SMC 39)
Organizational Note
According to the history of the church which comprises this
collection, the Baptist church in Columbus began when 12 persons,
11 white and a slave named Joseph, assembled in a room on Broad
Street to organize a church on February 14, 1829. The first church
building was built in 1830 at the corner of 3rd Avenue
and 12th Street, permitting black and white to worship
together under one roof. In 1840, after building a new building,
the First Baptist Church gave their old building to their black
congregants for a house of worship. These people organized the
African Baptist Church. The second building of the church was
located at the corner of St. Clair (now called 11th
Street) and Front Avenue. It was built in 1862 at a cost of 800
dollars. The cost of lot, $250, was paid by the First Baptist
Church. Beginning with the construction of this building, the
pastors were ministers of color . After that building was destroyed
by fire, a new brick building was constructed in 1881 at the corner
of 11th Street and 6th Avenue, where Golden
Foundry and Machine Company later stood. The fourth building at 901
Fifth Avenue was occupied in 1915 and formally named the First
African Baptist Church. Due to “frictions and
factions”, three other churches were formed between 1889 and
1908, the Metropolitan Baptist Church 1890, the Friendship Baptist
church in 1906 and the Mt. Tabor Baptist church in 1908.
Scope and Content
This collection consists of two items. The first is a photocopy of
a 39 page typewritten history of the church from 1840 until 1940,
including a directory of church members, committees, etc. The
second is a program of the church women's Day of October 12,
1986.
1980-1986 1 folder (.1 l.f.)
