Olde Towne in Portsmouth, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)

Court Street Baptist Church

Photographed by Brandon D Cross, August 12, 2022

1. Court Street Baptist Church Marker

Inscription. The Kehukee Association, composed of Baptist churches in southeastern Virginia and eastern North Carolina, established Court Street Baptist Church on 7 Sept. 1789. This is the oldest Baptist church in Portsmouth and Norfolk and became the mother church of several other congregations. Members acquired land here in 1799 and built their first sanctuary. African American members, about a third of the congregation in 1860, withdrew in 1865 and formed two new congregations. Reuben H. Hunt, one of the South's most prominent architects early in the 20th century, designed the church's present Romanesque Revival sanctuary, which was completed in 1903.

Erected 2019 by Department of Historic Resources. (Marker Number K-164.)

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Architecture • Religion & Religious Structures. A significant historical date for this entry is September 7, 1789.

Location. 36° 50.172′ N, 76° 18.045′ W. Marker is in Portsmouth, Virginia. It is in Olde Towne. It is at the intersection of Court Street and Queen Street, on the right when traveling north on Court Street. Touch for map.

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Marker is at or near this postal address: 447 Court Street, Portsmouth VA 23704, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Virginia’s Hampton Roads,

specifically 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 Court Street Baptist Church (within shouting distance of this marker); The 1846 Courthouse (within shouting distance of this marker); Norfolk County Court House (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Towne Square (about 300 feet away); Trinity Church (about 400 feet away); The Commodore Theatre

Photographed by Brandon D Cross, August 12, 2022

2. Court Street Baptist Church Marker

(about 400 feet away); William Flora (about 500 feet away); Pre-Fabricated Houses (about 500 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Portsmouth.

Another marker is no longer nearby. Confederate Monument (was within shouting distance of this marker but has been permanently removed).

Also see . . . Court Street Baptist Church. (Submitted on August 12, 2022, by Brandon D Cross of Flagler Beach, Florida.)

Court Street Baptist Church image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Brandon D Cross, August 12, 2022

3. Court Street Baptist Church

Credits. This page was last revised on February 1, 2023. It was originally submitted on August 12, 2022, by Brandon D Cross of Flagler Beach, Florida. This page has been viewed 300 times since then and 22 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on August 12, 2022, by Brandon D Cross of Flagler Beach, Florida. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.