Upton in Baltimore, Maryland — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)

Union Baptist Church

Photographed By Don Morfe, February 25, 2017

1. Union Baptist Church Marker

Inscription. Union Baptist Church incorporated on May 10, 1852 as the second-oldest Negro Baptist church in Baltimore. This structure was built at a cost of $51,256 and dedicated on December 17, 1905. Architect William J. Beardsley designed the church in a Late Victorian/Second Gothic Revival style and incorporated stained glass windows created by John LaFarge.

Under Reverend Dr. Harvey Johnson’s leadership (1872-1923), Union Baptist Church established fifteen area churches and the Colored Baptist Convention of Maryland in 1898. On June 22, 1885, he organized the Mutual United Brotherhood of Liberty (MUBL), the model for the Niagara Movement. On October 10, 1885, Johnson persuaded the Supreme Bench of Baltimore City to admit Everett J. Waring, the first Negro lawyer to practice in Maryland. Johnson’s wife Amelia, an author and editor for the National Baptist Publishing Board, wrote the forward to Johnson’s 1903 book The Nations: From a New Point of View.

The Harvey Johnson Community Center was built in 1955 under the leadership of Reverend Dr. Baxter Matthew, the church’s eight pastor.

Reverend Vernon Dobson was the church’s ninth pastor (1967-2007). A civil rights leader and friend of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Dobson helped form the “Goon Squad” that ran African American candidates for elective office. Dobson

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was also one of the founders of Baltimoreans United in Leadership Development (BUILD).

Reverend Dr. Alvin C. Hathaway, Sr., the church’s tenth pastor, was born at 1211 Druid Hill Avenue.

Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, Mayor—Baltimore City Landmark, National Register of Historic Places.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Churches & Religion • Civil Rights. A significant historical date for this entry is May 10, 1852.

Location. 39° 18.109′ N, 76° 37.687′ W. Marker is in Baltimore, Maryland. It is in Upton. Marker is on Druid Hill Avenue. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1219 Druid Hill Avenue, Baltimore MD 21217, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Bethel A.M.E. Church (within shouting distance of this marker); Foundation on Which to Build a Community (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Sharp Street Memorial Church (about 400 feet away); Rev. Dr. Vernon Nathaniel Dodson Memorial (about 400 feet away); Henry Highland Garnet Park (about 500 feet away); Courting Justice (about 500 feet away); Creating an African American Neighborhood (about 500 feet away); Henry Highland Garnett School (about 500 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Baltimore.

Union Baptist Church image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Don Morfe, February 25, 2017

2. Union Baptist Church

Plaque-National Register of Historic Places

Union Baptist Church Corner Stone 1854-1905 image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Don Morfe, February 25, 2017

3. Union Baptist Church Corner Stone 1854-1905

Plaque-Pastors of Union Baptist Church

Photographed By Don Morfe, February 25, 2017

4. Union Baptist Church

Credits. This page was last revised on April 17, 2020. It was originally submitted on February 28, 2017, by Don Morfe of Baltimore, Maryland. This page has been viewed 392 times since then and 38 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on February 28, 2017, by Don Morfe of Baltimore, Maryland. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.