Downtown Memphis in Shelby County, Tennessee — The American South (East South Central)

Beale Street Baptist Church

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, April 25, 2020

1. Beale Street Baptist Church Marker

Front side

Inscription.
Founded in the late 1840s by Rev. Morris Henderson and four other blacks, Beale Street Baptist Church is the oldest, continuous Negro congregation in Memphis. Withdrawing from the First Baptist Church, the founders and others met in an old dwelling house until it burned in the 1860s. Later they acquired a lot for $5,000 and held their early meetings in a brush arbor. Soon afterward the present building was constructed. Architects were E.C. Jones and M.H. Baldwin. This was the first brick church in the Mid-South built by and for blacks.

It is considered the Mother Church of all black Baptist churches in this area. Ministers who have served this church include: Revs. Morris Henderson, Scott Key, R.N. Countee, Taylor Nightengale, P.J. Jackson, Henry Clemons, J.P. Hurt, J.C. Bowers, J.L. Lewis, B.J. Perkins, George A. Long, and James A. Jordan. Many outstanding leaders have spoken here, including President Ulysses S. Grant in 1880, U.S. Rep. Oscar DePriest in 1930, and A. Philip Randolph in 1944.

Erected by The Beale Street Baptist Church and The Shelby County Historical Commission.

Topics. This historical marker

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is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Religion & Religious Structures. A significant historical year for this entry is 1880.

Location. 35° 8.359′ N, 90° 2.927′ W. Marker is in Memphis, Tennessee, in Shelby County. It is in Downtown Memphis. It is on Beale Street just east of South 4th Street, on the right when traveling west. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 379 Beale St, Memphis TN 38103, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in West Tennessee.

It is also in the American South,

specifically in the Deep South,

in the Upper South,

in the Mississippi Delta,

and in the Great River Road Region.

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 Tree of Strange Fruit" (within shouting distance of this marker); Ida B. Wells (within shouting distance of this

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, April 25, 2020

2. Beale Street Baptist Church Marker

Reverse side

marker); Solvent Savings Bank (within shouting distance of this marker); Memphis Heritage Trail/Ida B. Wells (within shouting distance of this marker); This Plaque is Dedicated to Father and Son, Leaders of Their Race (within shouting distance of this marker); Church Park Auditorium (within shouting distance of this marker); The Memphis Home of W.C. Handy (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Chop Suey Café / Chinese Merchants on Beale Street (about 300 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Memphis.

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, April 25, 2020

3. Beale Street Baptist Church Marker

Credits. This page was last revised on February 7, 2023. It was originally submitted on April 26, 2020, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 1,405 times since then and 69 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on April 26, 2020, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.