We've Come This Far By Faith

We've Come This Far By Faith. Nicodemus National Historic Site. , Sunday school, prayer meetings, gospel singing, spirited preaching, church suppers, and special events all graced the sanctuary of the First Baptist Church. Churches are the cornerstone of black communities throughout the US.

Before Emancipation, restrictive laws often prohibited blacks from gathering in large numbers, except in churches. Rev Samuel Roundtree, one of five Nicodemus organizers and promoters, recruited homesteaders from Baptist churches in central Kentucky.

Soon after arriving in the fall of 1877, Rev. Silas Lee organized the Nicodemus First Baptist Church. At first the congregation worshiped in a dugout at Tom Johnson's homestead north of town. Later they worshiped in a large sod structure at this location. In 1880, they built a large limestone church here on the main street of the growing town. In 1907, the congregation substantially enlarged the church and the front entrance moved to this side of the building. The original church was incorporated with the new one.

"Weekends were what I remember most about Nicodemus. We would come up for the weekends and play in the streets and go to church. After church there'd be dinners and the candy at the little old store that used to be there." , Loretta Buckner , Nicodemus descendant

At least one wall of that earlier, limestone church remains, supporting the east side of the building. Oral tradition has it that when the larger, new church was complete, the old church was disassembled and taken out through the windows of the new one.