Union Baptist Church
Under Reverend Dr. Harvey Johnson’s leadership (1872-1923), Union Baptist Church established fifteen area churches and the Colored Baptist Convention of Maryland in 1898. On June 22, 1885, he organized the Mutual United Brotherhood of Liberty (MUBL), the model for the Niagara Movement. On October 10, 1885, Johnson persuaded the Supreme Bench of Baltimore City to admit Everett J. Waring, the first Negro lawyer to practice in Maryland. Johnson’s wife Amelia, an author and editor for the National Baptist Publishing Board, wrote the forward to Johnson’s 1903 book The Nations: From a New Point of View.
The Harvey Johnson Community Center was built in 1955 under the leadership of Reverend Dr. Baxter Matthew, the church’s eight pastor.
Reverend Vernon Dobson was the church’s ninth pastor (1967-2007). A civil rights leader and friend of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Dobson helped form the “Goon Squad” that ran African American candidates for elective office. Dobson
this page online
Reverend Dr. Alvin C. Hathaway, Sr., the church’s tenth pastor, was born at 1211 Druid Hill Avenue.
Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, Mayor—Baltimore City Landmark, National Register of Historic Places.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Civil Rights • Religion & Religious Structures. A significant historical date for this entry is May 10, 1852.
Location. 39° 18.109′ N, 76° 37.687′ W. Marker is in Baltimore, Maryland. It is in Upton. It is on Druid Hill Avenue. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1219 Druid Hill Avenue, Baltimore MD 21217, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Central Maryland. It is also in the American Mid-Atlantic and in the Chesapeake Bay Region. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region, North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once one of the original Thirteen Colonies and also the Antebellum South.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Bethel A.M.E. Church (within shouting distance of this marker); Foundation on Which to Build a Community (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Sharp Street Memorial Church (about 400 feet away); Rev. Dr. Vernon Nathaniel Dodson Memorial (about 400 feet away); Henry Highland Garnet Park (about 500 feet away); Courting Justice (about 500 feet away); Creating an African American Neighborhood (about 500 feet away); Henry Highland Garnett School (about 500 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Baltimore.
Another marker is no longer nearby. 
Credits. This page was last revised on April 17, 2020. It was originally submitted on February 28, 2017, by Don Morfe of Baltimore, Maryland. This page has been viewed 794 times since then and 31 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on February 28, 2017, by Don Morfe of Baltimore, Maryland. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.
