Petworth in Northwest Washington in Washington, District of Columbia — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
First Church of Seventh-day Adventists
810 Shepherd Street, NW
— African American Heritage Trail, Washington DC —
Photographed By Devry Becker Jones (CC0), December 4, 2021
1. First Church of Seventh-day Adventists Marker
Inscription.
First Church of Seventh-day Adventists. 810 Shepherd Street, NW. Adventism arrived in Washington in 1886 in the form of a mission – which three years later became the Seventh-day Adventists Church of Washington, D.C. From the start, racial equality was a central doctrine of the racially mixed congregation. Frederick Douglass's daughter Rosetta Sprague (1839-1906) was an active member. However, as racial separation took hold in this country, the national Adventist leadership followed suit. The Washington church resisted, but then many of the white congregants left to form Second Church in 1902. The remaining members called themselves First Church. In 1956 First Church, by then primarily African American, moved here, to the former Beth Shalom synagogue.
Adventism arrived in Washington in 1886 in the form of a mission – which three years later became the Seventh-day Adventists Church of Washington, D.C. From the start, racial equality was a central doctrine of the racially mixed congregation. Frederick Douglass's daughter Rosetta Sprague (1839-1906) was an active member. However, as racial separation took hold in this country, the national Adventist leadership followed suit. The Washington church resisted, but then many of the white congregants left to form Second Church in 1902. The remaining members called themselves First Church. In 1956 First Church, by then primarily African American, moved here, to the former Beth Shalom synagogue.
Location. 38° 56.378′ N, 77° 1.426′ W. Marker is in Northwest Washington in Washington, District of Columbia. It is in Petworth. Marker is on Shepherd Street Northwest just west of 8th Street Northwest, on the left when traveling west. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 810 Shepherd St NW, Washington DC 20011, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Photographed By Devry Becker Jones (CC0), December 4, 2021
2. First Church of Seventh-day Adventists in its current location
Credits. This page was last revised on January 30, 2023. It was originally submitted on December 4, 2021, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 206 times since then and 64 times this year. Photos:1, 2. submitted on December 4, 2021, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.
