Columbia in Maury County, Tennessee — The American South (East South Central)

Mount Lebanon Missionary Baptist Church

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, April 18, 2020

1. Mount Lebanon Missionary Baptist Church Marker

Inscription. In October 1843, free blacks in Columbia established Mount Lebanon Missionary Baptist Church, the oldest black Baptist congregation in Tennessee. Edmund Kelly was its first pastor. The original church was built several blocks southeast of this site, and it served as a school during the Reconstruction Era. The present building was built in 1885.

Erected by Tennessee Historical Commission. (Marker Number 3D 67.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Education • Religion & Religious Structures. In addition, it is included in the Tennessee Historical Commission series list. A significant historical month for this entry is October 1843.

Location. 35° 36.784′ N, 87° 1.848′ W. Marker is in Columbia, Tennessee, in Maury County. It is at the intersection of East 8th Street and South Glade Street, on the right when traveling east on East 8th Street. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 218 E 8th St, Columbia TN 38401, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Middle Tennessee

and in Greater Nashville.

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: The Reverend Edmund Kelly (a few steps from this marker); Lillie Mae Glover (about 600 feet away, measured in a direct line); 1946 Columbia Race Riot / A.J. Morton Funeral Home (about

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600 feet away); Memorial to Black Maury County Citizens (about 700 feet away); A Turning Point (approx. 0.2 miles away); A Legacy of Justice (approx. 0.2 miles away); The Defendants of 1946 (approx. 0.2 miles away); Life in the Shadows of Freedom (approx. 0.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Columbia.

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, April 18, 2020

2. Mount Lebanon Missionary Baptist Church Marker

North side of Mt Lebanon Missionary Baptist Church Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Darren Jefferson Clay, January 1, 2022

3. North side of Mt Lebanon Missionary Baptist Church Marker

East side of Mt Lebanon Missionary Baptist Church Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Darren Jefferson Clay, January 1, 2022

4. East side of Mt Lebanon Missionary Baptist Church Marker

Credits. This page was last revised on January 4, 2022. It was originally submitted on April 19, 2020, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 891 times since then and 72 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on April 19, 2020, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. 3, 4. submitted on January 3, 2022, by Darren Jefferson Clay of Duluth, Georgia. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.