Athens in Athens County, Ohio — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)

Mount Zion Baptist Church

Photographed by Kelly Phillips, May 28, 2023

1. Mount Zion Baptist Church Marker

Inscription. Beginning as a congregation in 1872 inside a private home, the first Mount Zion Baptist Church building in Athens was on Lancaster Street in 1876. Between 1905 and 1909, a thriving community of free-born and formerly enslaved Black Americans built the Mount Zion Baptist Church as a place of spiritual solace and social connection. It remained active as a church until the early 2000s. Over the course of its rich history, the church supported the cultural and social contributions of Black Americans in the Ohio River Valley and catapulted one of its choirs, the Gospel Voices of Faith, to national fame. Mount Zion Baptist Church is being restored and preserved as a vibrant community asset. The Black Cultural Center will offer educational, cultural and creative programming to support the Athens community, the Ohio River Valley and other marginalized peoples of southeast Ohio.

Erected by Southeast Ohio History Center; Ohio History Connection; Revada Foundation; Ohio Humanities; Kleinpenny Educational Fund; Mount Zion Black Cultural Center; Visit Athens County Ohio.

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Religion & Religious Structures.

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In addition, it is included in the Ohio Historical Society / The Ohio History Connection series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1872.

Location. 39° 19.944′ N, 82° 6.121′ W. Marker is in Athens, Ohio, in Athens County. It is on West Carpenter Street just east of North Congress Street, on the right when traveling west. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 32 W Carpenter St, Athens OH 45701, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Ohio’s Hocking Hills.

It is also in the American Midwest,

in the Ohio River Valley,

in Appalachia,

and specifically in Northern Appalachia. Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy,

the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

and the Northwest Territory.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Athens National Guard Armory (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); In Memory of Johnny Appleseed (about 500 feet away); "The Berry" (approx. 0.2 miles away); Susannah Arnold Anthony (approx. 0.2 miles away); Athens Veterans Memorial (approx. 0.2 miles away); Eliza Davidson Memorial (approx. 0.2 miles away); First Presbyterian Church (approx. 0.2 miles away); First Settlers in Athens County (approx. ¼ mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Athens.

Photographed by Kelly Phillips, May 28, 2023

2. Mount Zion Baptist Church Marker

Credits. This page was last revised on June 12, 2024. It was originally submitted on June 12, 2024, by Kelly Phillips of Verona, Pennsylvania. This page has been viewed 264 times since then and 24 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on June 12, 2024, by Kelly Phillips of Verona, Pennsylvania. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.