Black Churches of Capitol Hill
1. First Baptist Church, Capitol Hill (1848) 2. Gay Street Christian Church (1859) 3. Mount Olive Missionary Baptist Church (1887) 4. St. Andrews Presbyterian Church (1898) 5. St. John AME Church (1863) 6. Spruce Street Baptist Church (1848) These six churches stood within ⅙ mile of this marker.
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These six black churches stood in the center of Nashville's prosperous black business district before the Capitol Hill Redevelopment Program. Several began before the Civil War as "missions' or Sunday School classes of earlier white churches. All boasted memberships of over 1,000 by 1910 and claimed the city's most prominent black business and professional families. All but one moved in the 1950s, and all continue to serve the Nashville community.
Erected 1987 by The Historical Commission of Metropolitan Nashville and Davidson County. (Marker Number 83.)
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Religion & Religious Structures. In addition, it is included in the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church, and the Tennessee, The Historical Commission of Metropolitan Nashville and Davidson County series lists. A significant historical year for this entry is 1910.
Location. 36° 9.842′
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Regionally, this marker is in Middle Tennessee. It is also in the American South and specifically in the Upper South. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture, one of the Confederate States of America, and the Antebellum South.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Avon N. Williams, Jr. (within shouting distance of this marker); Nashville Sit-Ins (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); Rev. Nelson G. Merry (about 700 feet away); Welcome to Frankie Pierce Park (about 700 feet away); Woman Suffrage Wins as Tennessee Ratifies (about 800 feet away); Mrs. John Hill Eakin - Mrs. Robert F. Weakley (about 800 feet away); Edwin W. Craig (approx. 0.2 miles away); Tennessee Tower (approx. 0.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Nashville.
Credits. This page was last revised on February 7, 2023. It was originally submitted on April 2, 2020, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 1,100 times since then and 40 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on April 2, 2020, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. 3, 4. submitted on January 22, 2023, by Darren Jefferson Clay of Duluth, Georgia. 5. submitted on April 2, 2020, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.
