Braithwaite in Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana — The American South (West South Central)
Bethlehem Baptist Church School
1930-1952
Photographed by Jimmy Emerson, January 1, 2021
1. Bethlehem Baptist Church School Marker
Bethlehem Baptist Church under the spiritual leadership of the Rev. Lazarus Ben and the church's membership transformed the Church's sanctuary into a church school to educate African-American children in the area. Because of Plaquemines Parish de facto segregation, there weren't any schools for African-American children in the Dalcour area. Bethlehem Baptist Church recruited local residents to become teachers, who came to be known as Ministers of Education. The school board hired these "Ministers of Education" to teach grades one to eight at the Bethlehem Church School. Bethlehem's Ministers of Education equipped a generation with an educational foundation that prepared students to go anywhere in the world.
Erected 2018 by Bethlehem Baptist Church.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Education • Religion & Religious Structures. A significant historical year for this entry is 1930.
Location. 29° 48.732′ N, 89° 59.861′ W. Marker is in Braithwaite, Louisiana, in Plaquemines Parish. It is at the intersection of Louisiana Route 39 and Bethlehem Lane, on the right when traveling north on Louisiana Route 39. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 105 Bethlehem Ln, Braithwaite LA 70040, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Louisiana’s River Parishes, in Bayou Country and in Greater New Orleans. It is also in the American South, specifically in the Deep South, on the Gulf Coast, and in the Great River Road Region. 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, the Louisiana Purchase, one of the Confederate States of America, and the Antebellum South.
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Credits. This page was last revised on May 4, 2026. It was originally submitted on May 4, 2026, by Jimmy Emerson of Dalton, Georgia. This page has been viewed 10 times since then. Photo 1. submitted on May 4, 2026, by Jimmy Emerson of Dalton, Georgia. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.
Editor’s want-list for this marker. A wide shot of the marker in context. • Can you help?
