First Baptist Church

First Baptist Church. . On October 31, 1888, eleven citizens from the Deadwood community organized the First Baptist Church. Within three years, this congregation built and dedicated the First Baptist Church on September 6, 1891, once located on upper Williams Street., During the next 26 years, the First Baptist Church served as a house of worship and educational center. Baptist missionary and pastor Ida M. Sherman and members of the congregation taught English to forty Chinese immigrants who once lived in Deadwood. Eleven of these students became members of this church., In January of 1917, the Deadwood School Board purchased the First Baptist Church lots on Williams Street as part of a school expansion. Prior to the church being razed, the congregation purchased several lots along Sherman Street and work promptly began on a new church. The local newspapers periodically reported on the progress of the new church, including the September 18, 1917 dedication of the corner stone., Five months later on February 10, 1918 the new First Baptist Church was officially dedicated. The Deadwood Daily Pioneer-Times newspaper ran a lengthy front page article on this occasion., Today, Deadwood's First Baptist Church continues to serve the Lead and Deadwood community and many of Deadwood's visitors as a house of worship., (Captions) , Interior of Deadwood's First Baptist Church sanctuary and baptismal pool. photo credit: City of Deadwood , Above: First Baptist Church, along Williams Street, circa 1890s photo credit: Deadwood History Inc., Adams Museum , Below: First Baptist Church, Chinese Sunday Sebool, in 1896.photo credit: Deadwood History Inc., Adams Museum