The Church of St. Mark in Brooklyn, New York was originally established by a group of black Episcopalians in 1838. The next year, Dr. Samuel M. Haskins was asked to be rector (pastor), the role he would maintain for 60 years. By April 1841 the … Read MoreThe Church of St. Mark, Brooklyn, New York (1838- )
Officially founded on August 8, 1805 by the Reverend Thomas Paul, The African Baptist Church is the oldest black church in Massachusetts. The first meeting of the congregants took place around 1800. Thomas Paul and Scipio Dalton formed the African Baptist Church after a group … Read MoreAfrican Baptist Church, Boston, Massachusetts (1805- )
“Image Ownership: Kenneth C. Zirkel (CC BY-SA 3.0)” Congdon Street Baptist Church is the oldest African American church in Rhode Island. The church, located on College Hill, sprang from the effort of the black community in the city to provide a place for people of … Read MoreCongdon Street Baptist Church (1819- )
Along with its neighbors Ebenezer Baptist and Big Bethel AME, Wheat Street Baptist Church has been a major contributor to the social, economic, and cultural fabric of Atlanta, Georgia, particularly within its African American community. A group of parishioners from First Baptist Church founded Wheat … Read MoreWheat Street Baptist Church, Atlanta, Georgia (1869- )
“Image Ownership: Public Domain” The African Zion Baptist Church is the first African American church in what is now West Virginia (West Virginia was a part of Virginia until 1863) and was the church of Booker T. Washington. The church is located in Malden, West … Read MoreAfrican Zion Baptist Church, Malden, West Virginia, (1852- )
The Columbus Avenue African Methodist Episcopal (A.M.E.) Zion Church in Boston, Massachusetts is most famous as the site of the July 30, 1903 Boston Riot. Although it is not the oldest African American church in the state of Massachusetts, it represents a critical moment in … Read MoreColumbus Avenue African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church, Boston, Massachusetts (1838- )
The Second Baptist Church of Detroit, located in the Greektown district of downtown Detroit, is the oldest African American congregation in Michigan and, according to some sources, the Midwest. The church has been active in struggles for freedom and equality since its founding in 1836 … Read MoreSecond Baptist Church of Detroit (1836- )
Big Bethel African Methodist Episcopal (A.M.E.) Church is the oldest African American church in Metropolitan Atlanta, Georgia. Like Wheat Street, First Congregational, and the King’s Ebenezer Baptist Church, Bethel A.M.E. has been a religious, social, economic, and cultural pillar of the African American community in … Read MoreBig Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church, Atlanta, Georgia (1847- )
First Baptist Church of Petersburg, Virginia, originally known as the First African Baptist Church, is the oldest continuously operating black church in the state and is the mother church of numerous Baptist congregations in Virginia. The evangelical anti-slavery message of the equality of all men who were … Read MoreFirst Baptist Church, Petersburg, Virginia (1756- )
(Image Courtesy of Rosemarie Allen) Shorter AME Church was organized in 1868. Two women, Mary Smith and Mary Randolph founded the church. The original members met on the South Platte River in 1863 until the Church was given land located at 19th and Holiday (now … Read MoreShorter AME Church, Denver, Colorado (1868- )
