Sunnyvale in Semmes in Mobile County, Alabama — The American South (East South Central)

Semmes First Baptist Church

Established 1872

— Mobile County —

Semmes First Baptist Church Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Jim Ellis, September 1, 2023

1. Semmes First Baptist Church Marker

Inscription. Semmes First Baptist Church is the oldest church on record in this area. Originally named Mt. Pleasant Baptist Church. W.P.H. Judd and D.S. Myers organized the congregation in 1872 in a small log cabin, not far from the present site. Reverend Elias Roberts served as the first pastor. The congregation moved around to provide services in the center of the community. In 1902, Thomas Jefferson Howell deeded a half-acre of land to the congregation, and a small white framed church was built. The owner of Semmes Hotel, Albert R. Funk, donated a bell for the church. They congregation changed the church's name from Mt. Pleasant Baptist to Semmes First Baptist Church in 1904. The congregation sold the old church building and members moved into a new sanctuary in 1934. This structure became an education building when the church built a larger sanctuary in 1959 to accommodate the growing membership. Located on Wulff Road, the members dedicate the brick church building on August 30, 1959, and it is still in use. Semmes First Baptist Church remains a Christ-centered, community-minded church and celebrated its 150th Anniversary in 2022.

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Trustees oversee maintenance for the Semmes First Baptist Church Cemetery, established in 1904. Listed in the Alabama Register of Landmarks and Heritage on August 18, 2022.

Erected 2023 by City of Semmes and Alabama Historical Commission.

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Cemeteries & Burial Sites • Religion & Religious Structures. In addition, it is included in the Alabama Historical Commission series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1872.

Location. 30° 46.542′ N, 88° 15.542′ W. Marker is in Semmes, Alabama, in Mobile County. It is in Sunnyvale. It is on Wulff Road 0.2 miles south of Moffett Road (U.S. 98), on the left when traveling south. The marker is placed facing west, parallel to Wulff road. It is located directly in front of the church. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 4070 Wulff Rd, Semmes AL 36575, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is on Alabama’s Gulf Coast,

in the Mobile Bay area,

and specifically in the Mobile Metropolitan Area.

It is also in the American South,

specifically in

View of Marker, church parking entrance and North Wulff Road image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Jim Ellis, September 1, 2023

2. View of Marker, church parking entrance and North Wulff Road

US98 is north of the marker on Wulff Road, marker is facing west and image was taken facing north.

the Deep South,

and on the Gulf Coast.

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 New Spain,

the Viceroyalty of New France,

the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 9 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Semmes (approx. ¼ mile away); Semmes Heritage Park (approx. 0.3 miles away); Blackwell House (approx. ¾ mile away); Crawford Methodist Cemetery, Mobile County (approx. 2.9 miles away); New Hope Gardens (approx. 7.1 miles away); Miller Family Cemetery (approx. 8.1 miles away); Sand Town (approx. 8½ miles away); Spring Hill Graveyard (approx. 8.7 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Semmes.

Credits. This page was last revised on September 5, 2023. It was originally submitted on September 4, 2023, by Jim Ellis of Theodore, Alabama. This page has been viewed 368 times since then and 45 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on September 4, 2023, by Jim Ellis of Theodore, Alabama. • James Hulse was the editor who published this page.