Mechanicsburg in Champaign County, Ohio — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)

Second Baptist Church

Photographed by William Fischer, Jr., November 14, 2008

1. Second Baptist Church Marker (side A)

Inscription. Side A:
This site has long served the religious, education, and public interests of the residents of Mechanicsburg. A local Methodist congregation built its first church here in 1820, and the townspeople also used the structure as its village school. The Methodists replaced their original structure in 1837, using brick as the main building material. As the Methodist congregation grew, however, it was determined that a larger, more permanent structure was needed. As a result, the Mechanicsburg First Methodist Church was built here in 1858, and it served the congregation until 1894 when an African American based Second Baptist congregation purchased the building at a cost of $2,850. Besides religion and education, the site was also used as Mechanicsburg's first cemetery. That cemetery lasted until the Maple Grove Cemetery was established and burials at this site were relocated there.(Continued on other side)
Side B:
(Continued from other side) From 1894, from the time that the Second Baptist Church purchased this property, the congregation prospered. In 1895 the Baptist Association of Ohio organized a Baptist State Convention,

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which was held here the following year. In 1897 the Reverend Elmer W. B. Curry, who believed that racial issues in America could only be settled gradually, established a school in the Tuskegee tradition in the Second Baptist Church. It was named the Curry Institute, but later moved to Urbana. In 1936 a fire, sparked by flames from Culbertson Buggy Works next door, damaged the church steeple forcing removal of the 1859 800-pound bell to be relocated to the more substantial Mechanicsburg School Building. The smaller and lighter School Building bell was given as replacement to the Second Baptist Church. The building is the oldest church in Mechanicsburg and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Erected 2005 by Champaign County Preservation Alliance, Champaign County Bicentennial Historical Marker Committee, and The Ohio Historical Society. (Marker Number 19-11.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Cemeteries & Burial Sites • Religion & Religious Structures • Settlements & Settlers. In addition, it is included in the Ohio Historical Society / The Ohio History Connection

Second Baptist Church Marker (side B) image. Click for full size.

Photographed by William Fischer, Jr., November 14, 2008

2. Second Baptist Church Marker (side B)

series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1820.

Location. 40° 4.352′ N, 83° 33.301′ W. Marker is in Mechanicsburg, Ohio, in Champaign County. It is on Sandusky Street (Ohio Route 4), on the right when traveling east. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 43 East Sandusky Street, Mechanicsburg OH 43044, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Ohio’s Till Plains.

It is also in the American Midwest

and in the Corn Belt.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy,

the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

and the Northwest Territory.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Oldest Church (here, next to this marker); Addison White (within shouting distance of this marker); Underground Railroad Station (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Chief Ohito's Wigwam (about 300 feet away); W.W. I Veterans Memorial (about 300 feet away); Firefighter Jon C. Trainer

Second Baptist Church and Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by William Fischer, Jr., November 14, 2008

3. Second Baptist Church and Marker

(about 400 feet away); Lawler's Tavern (about 400 feet away); Mechanicsburg United Methodist Church (about 700 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Mechanicsburg.

Related markers. Click here for a list of markers that are related to this marker. The Methodist Churces of Mechanicsburg

Second Baptist Church National Register Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by William Fischer, Jr., November 14, 2008

4. Second Baptist Church National Register Marker

Second Baptist Oldest Church Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by William Fischer, Jr., November 14, 2008

5. Second Baptist Oldest Church Marker

Second Baptist Church Construction Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by William Fischer, Jr., November 14, 2008

6. Second Baptist Church Construction Marker

Originally built as a Methodist Episcopal Church.

Second Baptist Church Sesquicentennial Celebration Sign image. Click for full size.

Photographed by William Fischer, Jr., November 14, 2008

7. Second Baptist Church Sesquicentennial Celebration Sign

Credits. This page was last revised on June 16, 2016. It was originally submitted on November 21, 2008, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio. This page has been viewed 1,981 times since then and 50 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7. submitted on November 21, 2008, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio. • Craig Swain was the editor who published this page.