Seton Hill in Baltimore, Maryland — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)

Orchard Street Church

Photographed by Don Morfe, March 11, 2017

1. Orchard Street Church Marker

Inscription. In 1882, when the present building of the Orchard Street Methodist Episcopal Church was dedicated, it was called “an honor to the colored race and handsome ornament to the city.” The Orchard Street congregation commissioned architect Frank E. Davis to design a new place of worship, as it had outgrown its previous structure. The 1882 building is the third church erected for the congregation on this site.

Truman Pratt, a former slave of John Eager Howard, founded the congregation in 1825. In 1837, the employers of Pratt’s wife donated land at Orchard Street near Ross Street (now Druid Hill Avenue) on which to build a church. According to legend, slaves and freeman built the church at night under the flickering light of torches held by the women. The first church was completed in 1839. A second church stood on this site from 1853 to 1882.

“Father Pratt, “ as Truman Pratt came to be called, was not an ordained minister, but acted as elder and trustee of the church. He remained an active participant in the church’s activities until his death in 1877 at the age of 102.

Demolition threatened

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this historic church in the early 1970s, but the intervention of neighborhood groups saved the building for future generations.

(Inscription under the image on the right)
Interior, Orchard Street Church.

Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, Mayor-Baltimore City Landmark, National Register of Historic Places.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Religion & Religious Structures. A significant historical year for this entry is 1882.

Location. 39° 17.852′ N, 76° 37.433′ W. Marker is in Baltimore, Maryland. It is in Seton Hill. It is on Orchard Street. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 512 Orchard Street, Baltimore MD 21201, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Central Maryland. It is also in the American Mid-Atlantic, in the Chesapeake Bay Region, and on the Eastern Seaboard. 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

Photographed by Don Morfe, March 11, 2017

2. Orchard Street Church Marker

least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Holy Women of Paca Street (about 500 feet away, measured in a direct line); 510 Druid Hill Avenue (about 500 feet away); 637 North Paca Street (about 500 feet away); 506 Druid Hill Avenue (about 500 feet away); Sons of St. Mary's: Called to Serve, Educated to Lead (about 500 feet away); 627 North Paca Street (about 500 feet away); How did this park get its name? (about 600 feet away); 621 North Paca Street (about 600 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Baltimore.

Orchard Street Church image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Don Morfe, March 11, 2017

3. Orchard Street Church

Credits. This page was last revised on April 17, 2020. It was originally submitted on March 12, 2017, by Don Morfe of Baltimore, Maryland. This page has been viewed 753 times since then and 75 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on March 12, 2017, by Don Morfe of Baltimore, Maryland. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.