Greenville in Butler County, Alabama — The American South (East South Central)
First Missionary Baptist Church of Greenville
Butler County
Photographed by Jimmy Emerson, March 28, 2026
1. First Missionary Baptist Church of Greenville Marker
The First Missionary Baptist Colored Church of Greenville began under a brush arbor on the corner of South Perry and South Streets in November 1870. The church's founder, Rev Parson Stewart Adams served as the first Pastor. Early trustees, including John A. Minnis, F.M. Black, J.W. Mallet. Ezra Deming, Stewart Adams. Felix Posey, Tony Smith, James Harris. Sr., I.G. Peagler Henry Jones Wesley Gordon and Dave Williams purchased the lot on Baptist Hill to establish a church and school. Probate Judge H. O. Lampley officially recorded the church as incorporated on July 1, 1912. After being destroyed three times by storm or fire, the congregation rebuilt the present structure in 1908 and constructed the Fellowship Hall in the 1950s and the front entrance in the 1970s. The congregation selected the name First Missionary Baptist Church in 1985. Greenville's earliest known Black Missionary Baptist Church and the earliest remaining Black church building in the Baptist Hill Community, Baptist Hill continues to provide a social outlet for many people as a means of identification. We stand as a beacon of light to the Baptist Hill Community and all others as well.
Erected 2026 by Pastor
this page online
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Architecture • Religion & Religious Structures. A significant historical year for this entry is 1908.
Location. 31° 49.865′ N, 86° 38.106′ W. Marker is in Greenville, Alabama, in Butler County. It is on South Street east of South Perry Street, on the right when traveling east. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 708 South St, Greenville AL 36037, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in the American South, specifically in the Deep South, and in the Black Belt. 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 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 walking distance of this marker: West Commerce Street Historic District / Historic Greenville Depot (approx. 0.4 miles away); Butler County World War I Memorial (approx. 0.4 miles away); The Camellia City / Greenville (approx. 0.7 miles away); Greenville City Hall-Site of Public School / Confederate Park (approx. 0.7 miles away); Our Confederate Dead Monument (approx. 0.7 miles away); World War II Memorial (approx. Ύ mile away); In Memory of Captain William Butler (approx. Ύ mile away); Pioneer Cemetery (approx. Ύ mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Greenville.
More about this marker. The marker lists 2025 as the installation date but the dirt was still fresh around the base when I took the picture in March 2026.
Photographed by Jimmy Emerson, March 28, 2026
2. First Missionary Baptist Church of Greenville & Marker
Photographed by Jimmy Emerson, March 28, 2026
3. First Missionary Baptist Church of Greenville Marker
Credits. This page was last revised on March 31, 2026. It was originally submitted on March 31, 2026, by Jimmy Emerson of Dalton, Georgia. This page has been viewed 9 times since then. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on March 31, 2026, by Jimmy Emerson of Dalton, Georgia. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.
