Williamsburg, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)
First Baptist Church
Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), February 26, 2021
1. First Baptist Church Marker
Inscription.
First Baptist Church. . This church, home to one of the oldest continuous congregations organized by African Americans, traces its origins to brush arbor meetings held by 1776 at a nearby plantation. The congregation moved to a Williamsburg carriage house and in 1856 completed a brick sanctuary on Nassau Street. A school for black students opened there in the 1860s. The Rev. John Dawson, longtime pastor, served in the Senate of Virginia from 1874 to 1877. first Baptist moved into its sanctuary here in 1956. During the Civil Rights era, the Rev. David Collins led demonstrations for fair hiring practices and joined the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. spoke here in 1962.
This church, home to one of the oldest continuous congregations organized by African Americans, traces its origins to brush arbor meetings held by 1776 at a nearby plantation. The congregation moved to a Williamsburg carriage house and in 1856 completed a brick sanctuary on Nassau Street. A school for black students opened there in the 1860s. The Rev. John Dawson, longtime pastor, served in the Senate of Virginia from 1874 to 1877. first Baptist moved into its sanctuary here in 1956. During the Civil Rights era, the Rev. David Collins led demonstrations for fair hiring practices and joined the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. spoke here in 1962.
Erected 2018 by Department of Historic Resources. (Marker Number W-108.)
Marker is in Williamsburg, Virginia. It is on Scotland Street just west of Prince George Street, on the right when traveling west. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 700 Scotland St, Williamsburg VA 23185, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is on Virginias Peninsula, in Coastal Virginia, and in the Hampton Roads Metropolitan Area. It is also in the American South, specifically in the Upper South, in the Tidewater, and on the Eastern Seaboard. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region, 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 original Thirteen Colonies, 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: A different marker also named The First Baptist Church (a few steps from this marker); MLK Triangle (within shouting distance of this marker); First Balloon Flight in Virginia (about 700 feet away, measured in
Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), February 26, 2021
Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), February 26, 2021
3. Plaque on First Baptist Church
First Baptist Church
Organized 1776
is placed on the National Register of Historic Landmarks
by the United States Department of Interior
June 6, 2017
Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), February 26, 2021
4. Cornerstone on the church
Credits. This page was last revised on March 2, 2021. It was originally submitted on March 2, 2021, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 541 times since then and 41 times this year. Photos:1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on March 2, 2021, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.
