Tupelo in Lee County, Mississippi — The American South (East South Central)
Spring Hill Missionary Baptist Church / A Strong Voice in the Civil Rights Struggle in Tupelo
— Heritage Trails Enrichment Program —
Photographed By Mark Hilton, April 7, 2017
1. Spring Hill Missionary Baptist Church Marker
Inscription.
Spring Hill Missionary Baptist Church, also, A Strong Voice in the Civil Rights Struggle in Tupelo. .
Spring Hill Missionary Baptist Church. Established approximately during the 1850s, Spring Hill Missionary Baptist Church is the oldest African-American Church in Tupelo, The original sanctuary, still standing today, was completed in 1921 and is one of the oldest surviving church buildings in Tupelo, having survived the devastating tornado of 1936. As Journalist Terry Marsh wrote in 2008, The Black Church, established because of the necessity to create a place of worship separate from whites, became significant as an organized body where opposition concerning the treatment of its congregations could be voiced, It progressed from a place of spiritual healing, to one of social and political awareness, creating a litany of protests advocating rights afforded by the U.S, Constitution." Spring Hill Missionary Baptist Church has been that place of worship for many years and has also been an advocate for the rights of both its congregation and the African-American community. ,
A Strong Voice in the Civil Rights Struggle in Tupelo. During the Civil Rights era, under the leadership of the Reverend E. Page, Spring Hill Missionary Baptist Church served as a voice for the struggle of this areas African-Americans. The church opened its doors for meetings of the United League, Freedom Marchers, NAACP, Council of Federated Organizations (COFO), and area citizens. This allowed those groups to voice their dissatisfaction with voter registration, segregation of schools, local facilities and stores, police brutality, unfair hiring throughout the city and all practices that were denied to African-Americans simply because of the color of their skin. Civil Rights marches in 1976 and 1979 began at this historic site, Gathering at the church, 300 - 400 demonstrators joined in song and prayer before they began these marches down Green Street to Downtown Tupelo.
Spring Hill Missionary Baptist Church
Established approximately during the 1850s, Spring Hill Missionary
Baptist Church is the oldest African-American Church in Tupelo, The
original sanctuary, still standing today, was completed in 1921 and is one
of the oldest surviving church buildings in Tupelo, having survived the
devastating tornado of 1936. As Journalist Terry Marsh wrote in 2008,
The Black Church, established because of the necessity to create a
place of worship separate from whites, became significant as an
organized body where opposition concerning the treatment of its
congregations could be voiced, It progressed from a place of spiritual
healing, to one of social and political awareness, creating a litany of
protests advocating rights afforded by the U.S, Constitution." Spring Hill
Missionary Baptist Church has been that place of worship for many years
and has also been an advocate for the rights of both its congregation and
the African-American community.
A Strong Voice in the Civil Rights Struggle in Tupelo
During the Civil Rights era, under the leadership of the Reverend E. Page, Spring Hill Missionary Baptist Church served as a voice for the struggle of this areas African-Americans. The church opened its doors for meetings
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of the United League, Freedom Marchers, NAACP, Council of Federated Organizations (COFO), and area citizens. This allowed those groups to voice their dissatisfaction with voter registration, segregation of schools, local facilities and stores, police brutality, unfair hiring throughout the city and all practices that were denied to African-Americans simply because of the color of their skin. Civil Rights marches in 1976 and 1979 began at this historic site, Gathering at the church, 300 - 400 demonstrators joined in song and prayer before they began these marches down Green Street to Downtown Tupelo.
Erected 2013 by the Tupelo Convention and Visitors Bureau.
Location. 34° 16.084′ N, 88° 42.454′ W. Marker is in Tupelo, Mississippi, in Lee County. Marker is on North Green Street south of North Spring Street, on the left when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 589 North Green Street, Tupelo MS 38804, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Springhill Missionary Baptist Church is the oldest black church in Tupelo. It was established in the 1850s, and its original sanctuary, built in 1921, still stands. The new sanctuary is to the right.
Photographed By Mark Hilton, April 7, 2017
4. Spring Hill Missionary Baptist Church bell.
Credits. This page was last revised on April 16, 2017. It was originally submitted on April 16, 2017, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama. This page has been viewed 583 times since then and 71 times this year. Photos:1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on April 16, 2017, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama.
