High Point in Guilford County, North Carolina — The American South (South Atlantic)
First Baptist Church
Photographed By Duane and Tracy Marsteller, September 2, 2023
1. First Baptist Church Marker
Erected by Yalik's African American Art & Cultural Movement • Washington Street Historic Preservation Society • Drive High Point Foundation • Visit High Point • City of High Point.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Churches & Religion. In addition, it is included in the National Register of Historic Places series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1907.
Location. 35° 57.674′ N, 80° 0.001′ W. Marker is in High Point, North Carolina, in Guilford County. Marker is at the intersection of Washington Street and Hobson Street, on the right when traveling west on Washington Street. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 701 Washington St, High Point NC 27260, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Washington Street Historic District (about 500 feet away, measured in a direct line); High Point Normal and Industrial Institute
this page online
Regarding First Baptist Church. Excerpts from the National Register of Historic Places nomination for the church:
The pioneering founder of First Baptist Church, Reverend Harry Cowan, was born into slavery on January 20, 1810, near Mocksville, North Carolina.… After the Civil War and emancipation, Reverend Cowan founded the Dixonville Baptist Church in Salisbury in 1866. He went on to organize forty-nine more churches in the state, including First Baptist Church of High Point in 1871 …
Soon after the church's organization, plans were made for the purchase of a site upon which to build a church. A parcel at the bottom of a hill, near the school on Perry Street wasselected and the land, once known as "Baptist Bottom," was donated by Jane Edmonson. … Reverend Anthony Welborne served as the first pastor of the newly constructed church, then known as the Baptist Church of High Point. At the time, it was the only African American church within a twenty-five mile radius of the city. It kept this name until about the turn of the twentieth century, when it became known as First Baptist Church. The small frame church served the congregation from 1875 until 1906.Photographed By Duane and Tracy Marsteller, September 2, 20232. First Baptist Church Marker
… As First Baptist Church membership expanded, its frame building became inadequate for the congregation. In response, the church moved several blocks west to its present site on the northeast comer of Hobson Street and East Washington Drive. The lot was bought in 1907 from R. Willis Hinton, one of High Point's successful African American entrepreneurs, and a brick structure, approximately fifty by seventy feet, was erected the same year.
Also see . . . First Baptist Church (PDF). National Register of Historic Places nomination submitted for the church, which was listed in 2009. (Prepared by Beth Keane; via National Archives) (Submitted on October 5, 2023, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.)
Beth Keane via National Archives (Public Domain), July 2007
3. First Baptist Church
The building was demolished in 2015 after engineers deemed it structurally unsafe and the congregation could not raise the money needed to rehabilitate it.
Credits. This page was last revised on October 5, 2023. It was originally submitted on October 5, 2023, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 62 times since then and 29 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on October 5, 2023, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.
