Sandusky in Erie County, Ohio — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
Second Baptist Church
Photographed by Craig Doda, July 4, 2026
1. Second Baptist Church Marker
Founded in 1849 by a group of seven ex-slaves and freeborn blacks and first called Zion Baptist Church. Prior to the Civil War and in direct response to the slavery issue, a wood frame building was purchased on this site and reorganized under the name of the First Regular Anti-Slavery Baptist Church. Many refugee slaves were hidden, fed, and clothed here before they were shipped to freedom across Lake Erie to Canada. The church took the name of Second Baptist in 1920. The original frame building that had sheltered so many in their flight to freedom was raised in 1929 - 1930 and is now enclosed within the walls of the present structure.
Erected 1994.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Abolition & Underground RR • African Americans • Religion & Religious Structures. A significant historical year for this entry is 1849.
Location. 41° 27.197′ N, 82° 42.84′ W. Marker is in Sandusky, Ohio, in Erie County. It is at the intersection of Decatur Street and West Adams Street, on the right when traveling south on Decatur Street. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 315
this page online
Regionally, this marker is on Ohio’s Lake Erie Shore and in the Western Reserve. It is also in the American Midwest and in the Corn Belt. Globally, it is in North America, on the Great Lakes, in the Western Hemisphere, in the Western World, and in 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: Desert Storm Memorial Tree (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); Erie County Veterans Memorial (about 400 feet away); Iraq & Afghanistan Memorial (about 400 feet away); In Flanders' Fields (about 400 feet away); Old Sandusky Post Office (about 400 feet away); Erie County Vietnam War Memorial (about 400 feet away); Veterans Memorial Park (about 500 feet away); Erie County Spanish American War Memorial (about 500 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Sandusky.
Photographed by Craig Doda, July 4, 2026
2. Second Baptist Church
Photographed by Craig Doda, July 4, 2026
3. Second Baptist Church NRoHP Plaque
Credits. This page was last revised on August 3, 2026. It was originally submitted on July 27, 2026, by Craig Doda of Napoleon, Ohio. This page has been viewed 7 times since then. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on July 27, 2026, by Craig Doda of Napoleon, Ohio. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.
