Historic Baptist Church

Historic Baptist Church. Circa 1884. On May 17, 1872, seventeen people convened in the Community House on Church Street or “Holy Row,” now called Sunset Drive, in the fledgling town of Norcross. During the meeting, this inspired group organized The Baptist Church of Christ in Norcross, renamed First Baptist Church of Norcross in 1954. John J. Thrasher, Norcross’ founder, was among the founding members of this church. For several years, this church held services in the Community House, which was also used by the Methodists and Presbyterians until each denomination built its own local church. In 1880, the Baptist church members began plans for a building and appointed a building committee, all of whom were women. Four additional women were selected in 1882 as the fund-raising committee. Once the committee had raised $1000, work began on the church building at this location. Although the exact completion date of the church is unknown, an 1884 penny found in the church’s cornerstone has provided a clue to the year of completion. Several improvements were made to this building over the years, such as the installation of electric lights in 1908. Additions to the original church building are indicative of the church’s growing congregation, as three times it was expanded to include additional Sunday School classrooms, with the last addition being a brick building erected in 1957. In the early 1960s, the church’s continued growth necessitated a move to a larger facility. For over 80 years this church served the members of First Baptist Church of Norcross, but on September 29, 1963, the congregation heard its last service in this building. First Baptist Church of Norcross moved to North Peachtree Street in October 1963.