Saint Francis Xavier Catholic Church was the first African American Catholic Church in the United States. The building, located on the corner of Calvert and Pleasant Street in Baltimore, Maryland, was originally constructed in 1836 for the congregation of the First Universalist Church. By 1837, … Read MoreSaint Francis Xavier Catholic Church, Baltimore, Maryland (1863- )
Saint Peter Claver (Mission) Church was the first African American Catholic Church in San Antonio, Texas. The church was built by Irish-born Margaret Mary Healy Murphy, the widow of John Bernard Murphy, who was the mayor of Corpus Christi from 1889 to 1884. Margaret Mary … Read MoreSaint Peter Claver Church, San Antonio, Texas (1888- )
Holy Cross Catholic Church, the first church for African American Catholics in Corpus Christi, Texas, was organized before the parish obtained a physical building. Before African Americans in that area had a church, they attended Saint Patrick’s Church, and some joined the Mexican Church, Our Lady of … Read MoreHoly Cross Catholic Church, Corpus Christi, Texas (1914- )
Abyssinian Baptist church, currently located in Harlem, New York, was founded in 1808 when a group of black parishioners left First Baptist Church of New York due to the imposition of racially-segregated seating. Reverend Thomas Paul, an African American minister from Boston, Massachusetts, assisted the … Read MoreAbyssinian Baptist Church, New York City, New York (1808- )
The First African Methodist Episcopal (FAME) Church is today the oldest and one of the largest African American congregations in Los Angeles, California. It was founded in 1872 by Bridget (Biddy) Mason who arrived as a slave in Los Angeles with her owner in 1856. However, … Read MoreFirst African Methodist Episcopal Church, Los Angeles, California (1872- )
St. Andrews African Methodist Episcopal Church of Sacramento, California was founded in 1850, the same year that California was admitted to the union. It stands to this day as the oldest continuous African Methodist Episcopal (AME) congregation on the west coast. The church began humbly, … Read MoreSaint Andrews African Methodist Episcopal Church, Sacramento, California (1850- )
Mother Bethel African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church, the first African Methodist Episcopal Church in the nation, was founded in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1794 by Richard Allen, a former slave. Allen founded Mother Bethel AME after the church he had been attending, St. George’s Methodist Episcopal … Read MoreMother Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church [Philadelphia] (1794- )
The Dexter Avenue Baptist Church was built in 1883 on the corner of Dexter Avenue and Decatur Street in Montgomery, Alabama. The church served as a meeting place and planning hub for some of the most influential actions of the Civil Rights movement throughout the … Read MoreDexter Avenue Baptist Church, Montgomery, Alabama (1883- )
The 16th Street Baptist Church Bombing took place on September, 15 1963, just 19 days after Dr. Martin Luther King gave his “I Have A Dream” speech at the March on Washington, in Washington, D.C. Four young girls, Denise McNair, age 11, and Cynthia Wesley, … Read MoreBirmingham 16th Street Baptist Church Bombing (1963)
The First Baptist Church, founded in 1780 by Joshua Morris, emerged in the aftermath of the Great Awakening religious revival movement (1730s-1770s) that spread across the South. In contrast to the other churches in Richmond organized during the same time, the First Baptist attracted both … Read MoreFirst Baptist Church, Richmond, Virginia (1780- )
