Pensacola in Escambia County, Florida — The American South (South Atlantic)
Historic John the Baptist Church
Photographed by Mark Hilton, March 10, 2014
1. Historic John the Baptist Church Marker
Historic John the Baptist Church is the oldest Baptist congregation in Pensacola. In 1846, the First Baptist Colored Church of Pensacola, known as Historic John the Baptist Church since 1927, was organized in the Seville Square community. The congregation's first church served black and white Baptists until the Civil War. When fires during the war threatened to burn Pensacola, the colored Baptists kept the church open. After the war, a dispute between black and white Baptists arose regarding the church property. As a result, the black congregation was permitted only limited use of the church. This dispute is recorded in a letter, now in the National Archives, that the colored Baptists wrote to the Freedman's Bureau in 1866. In 1870, under the leadership of the Reverend Robert Ahrens (c. 1833-1925), the founder of the West Florida Baptist Association, the black congregation relocated to the Hawkshaw community. The congregation's first church at this location, built in 1872, was destroyed by a fire. A second church built in 1897, was lost in a storm. The present church was built in 1907 and has played a vital role in the spiritual life of the Hawkshaw community.
Erected 2010 by the Congregation of Historic John the Baptist Church and the Florida Department of State. (Marker Number F-692.)
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Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Religion & Religious Structures • War, US Civil. A significant historical year for this entry is 1846.
Location. 30° 24.938′ N, 87° 12.241′ W. Marker is in Pensacola, Florida, in Escambia County. It is at the intersection of North 10th Avenue and East Salamanca Street, on the right when traveling south on North 10th Avenue. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 101 North 10th Avenue, Pensacola FL 32502, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is on the Florida Panhandle. It is also in the American South, specifically in the Deep South, and on the Gulf Coast. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region, 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: Hawkshaw (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); Revolutionary War Veterans Minuteman Memorial (approx. 0.2 miles away); "Submarine Lifeguard League" (approx. 0.2 miles away); Purple Heart Memorial (approx. Ό mile away); St. Michael's Cemetery (approx. 0.3 miles away); Stephen R. Mallory (approx. 0.3 miles away); John Innerarity (approx. 0.3 miles away); Ebenezer Dorr (approx. 0.3 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Pensacola.
Also see . . . John the Baptist Church History. (Submitted on March 12, 2014, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama.)
Photographed by Mark Hilton, March 10, 2014
2. Historic John the Baptist Church
Credits. This page was last revised on August 1, 2017. It was originally submitted on March 12, 2014, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama. This page has been viewed 1,549 times since then and 38 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on March 12, 2014, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.
