Salisbury in Rowan County, North Carolina — The American South (South Atlantic)
Mount Zion Baptist Church
Photographed By Duane and Tracy Marsteller, November 13, 2023
1. Mount Zion Baptist Church Marker
Mount Zion
Baptist Church
has been placed on the
National Register
of Historic Places
by the United States
Department of the Interior
December 30, 1985
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Churches & Religion • Education. 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° 40.267′ N, 80° 28.034′ W. Marker is in Salisbury, North Carolina, in Rowan County. Marker is on North Church Street north of West Kerr Street, on the right when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 413 N Church St, Salisbury NC 28144, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Harry Cowan (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); Stoneman’s Raid (about 500 feet away); Lynching in America / Lynching of African Americans in Rowan County (about 600 feet away); Old English Cemetery (approx. 0.2 miles away); Rowan County World War I Memorial (approx. 0.2 miles away); Blackmer-Woodson House c. 1880 (approx. 0.2 miles away); Elizabeth Maxwell Steele
this page online
Regarding Mount Zion Baptist Church. Excerpt from the National Register nomination:
The Mt. Zion Baptist Church is a black Baptist church located in the Rowan County seat of Salisbury. The congregation was organized in 1867, while the present church building was built in 1907 on land purchased by the congregation in 1893.
Mount Zion was one of a number of congregations founded by Harry Cowan (1810-1904), a man born into slavery who became one of the leaders of the black Baptist church in North Carolina. Mt. Zion is believed to be the second black Baptist church in the county. Cowan was pastor of the congregation from 1867 until 1891. Fisher Robert Mason was pastor from 1902 until 1929, a period that saw construction of the present building. By 1920, a large brick-veneered frame educational wing/manse was added to the structure. The educational wing housed an important school from 1920 to 1928, under the leadership of Mrs. Mason. The Sunshine School offered religious and academic training for grades one through six at a time when such schooling was not always readilyavailable for young blacks. The brick veneer was probably added to the sanctuary in the late 1920s. During Mason's tenure, Mt. Zion became one of the largest and most influential black churches in Salisbury.Photographed By Duane and Tracy Marsteller, November 13, 20232. Mount Zion Baptist Church MarkerThe congregation moved out of this building in 2004.
Also see . . .
1. Mount Zion Baptist Church (PDF). National Register nomination for the church complex, which was listed in 1985. (Prepared by Jim Sumner and Cindy Craig; via North Carolina State Historic Preservation Office) (Submitted on January 2, 2024, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.)
2. Church History. The Mount Zion Missionary Baptist Church of Salisbury, NC is said to have its beginnings with the late Rev. Harry “Uncle Harry” Cowan, known as the father of Baptist Ministers in North Carolina. Rev. Cowan was born a slave to Peter and Betty Thomas Ellis on January 20, 1810 near Mocksville, NC on a plantation owned by Thomas L. Cowan, a wealthy landowner and later a resident of Salisbury. (Mount Zion Missionary Baptist Church of Salisbury) (Submitted on January 2, 2024, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.)
Credits. This page was last revised on January 2, 2024. It was originally submitted on January 2, 2024, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 43 times since then. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on January 2, 2024, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.
