Hilton Head Island in Beaufort County, South Carolina — The American South (South Atlantic)

First African Baptist Church

Photographed by Brandon D Cross, June 12, 2017

1. First African Baptist Church Marker (front)

Inscription.
This church, organized in 1862, was first located in the town of Mitchelville, a freedman’s village established on Hilton Head by the United States Army. Rev. Abraham Murchinson, its first pastor, was a former slave. The congregation numbered about 120 members when it was organized in August 1862.

The church moved to the Chaplin community after the Civil War and was renamed Goodwill Baptist Church.It moved to this site by 1898 and was renamed Cross Roads Baptist Church before retaking its original name; it is the mother church of five Beaufort County churches. The present building was built in 1966.

Erected 2012 by The Congregation. (Marker Number 7-37.)

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Religion & Religious Structures • Settlements & Settlers • War, US Civil. A significant historical month for this entry is August 1862.

Location. 32° 13.436′ N, 80° 42.401′ W. Marker is on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, in Beaufort County. It is at the intersection of Beach City Road and Eneterprise Lane, on the right when traveling north on Beach City Road. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 70 Beach City Rd, Hilton Head Island SC 29926, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in the Lowcountry

and on the Sea Islands.

It is also in the American South

and specifically in the Deep South.

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 New Spain,

the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the original Thirteen Colonies,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within

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2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: A different marker also named First African Baptist Church (a few steps from this marker); Queen Chapel A.M.E. Church (approx. 0.4 miles away); African Methodist Episcopal Church Beginnings (approx. 0.4 miles away); The Story of Fort Howell (approx. one mile away); The Troops that Built Fort Howell / Camp Baird (approx. one mile away); General Howell / Captain Suter (approx. one mile away); Forts of the Civil War Era (approx. one mile away); Fort Howell - 1864 (approx. 1.1 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Hilton Head Island.

First African Baptist Church Marker (back) image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Brandon D Cross, June 13, 2017

2. First African Baptist Church Marker (back)

First African Baptist Church Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Brandon D Cross, June 12, 2017

3. First African Baptist Church Marker

First African Baptist Church image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Brandon D Cross, June 12, 2017

4. First African Baptist Church

Credits. This page was last revised on October 23, 2021. It was originally submitted on June 21, 2017, by Brandon D Cross of Flagler Beach, Florida. This page has been viewed 1,679 times since then and 289 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on June 21, 2017, by Brandon D Cross of Flagler Beach, Florida. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.