Montgomery in Montgomery County, Alabama — The American South (East South Central)

Pleasant Grove Missionary Baptist Church

Established 1881

Photographed by Mark Hilton, May 20, 2023

1. Pleasant Grove Missionary Baptist Church Marker

Inscription. One of the oldest continuously existing African American churches in Montgomery. Pleasant Grove Missionary Baptist Church was founded in 1881 by the Rev. J. H. Kennedy. The original sanctuary was a small wooden building, heated in colder months by a large black stove. Congregants worshipped there until completion of a new building in 1957. The church was a beacon for "Punkin Town' "Pratt Quarters" in an era before highway construction divided the neighborhood. For generations, church members have endeavored to welcome through its doors those in need.

"Upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it."
~Matthew 16:18

Erected 2019 by the Alabama Historical Association.

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Religion & Religious Structures. In addition, it is included in the Alabama Historical Association series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1881.

Location. 32° 24.475′ N, 86° 18.45′ W. Marker is in Montgomery, Alabama, in Montgomery County. It is on Dempsey Street east of North Court Street, on the right when traveling east. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 20 Dempsey St, Montgomery AL 36104, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Alabama’s Tri-Counties River Region.

It is also in the American South,

specifically in the Deep South,

and in the Black Belt.

Globally, it is in North America,

a Gulf of Mexico state,

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 Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers.

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At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Welcome to Shady Street Trailhead & Park (approx. 1.1 miles away); Charlestown Community (approx. 1.2 miles away); Janney Foundry Co. (approx. 1.7 miles away); Civil War Medicine / Montgomery's Confederate Hospitals (approx. 1.8 miles away); Governor William Calvin Oates / Colonel W. C. Oates, CSA at Gettysburg (approx. 1.8 miles away); William C. Oates (approx. 1.8 miles away); Abram Mordecai / Mordecai's Cotton Gin (approx. 1.8 miles away); Judy's Garden (approx. 1.8 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Montgomery.

Photographed by Mark Hilton, May 20, 2023

2. Pleasant Grove Missionary Baptist Church & Marker

Pleasant Grove Missionary Baptist Church sign image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Mark Hilton, May 20, 2023

3. Pleasant Grove Missionary Baptist Church sign

Credits. This page was last revised on May 20, 2023. It was originally submitted on May 20, 2023, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama. This page has been viewed 727 times since then and 57 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on May 20, 2023, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama.