Logan Circle in Northwest Washington in Washington, District of Columbia — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)

Vermont Avenue Baptist Church

1630 Vermont Avenue, NW

— African American Heritage Trail, Washington DC —

Vermont Avenue Baptist Church Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Richard E. Miller, February 25, 2012

1. Vermont Avenue Baptist Church Marker

Inscription. Vermont Avenue Baptist Church was formed in 1866 by seven formerly enslaved men and women meeting in the home of John and Amy Slaughter. They joined the Nineteenth Street Baptist Church for assistance in organizing their own church. Then, led by Rev. John Henry Brooks, a former Union Army wagon driver, the group acquired this site and built a small wooden structure that they named Fifth Baptist Church. They later replaced it with a brick building (now the main sanctuary), laying the cornerstone in 1872. Under Rev. Brooks’ successor, Rev. George Wellington Lee (1885-1911), the growing congregation added the current façade and steeple, and adopted the current name in 1890.

Erected by Cultural Tourism DC.

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Churches & Religion • Notable Buildings. In addition, it is included in the African American Heritage Trail series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1866.

Location. 38° 54.715′ N, 77° 1.708′ W. Marker is in Northwest Washington in Washington, District of Columbia. It is in Logan Circle. Marker is at the intersection of Vermont Avenue Northwest and 15th Street Northwest, on the right when traveling south on Vermont Avenue

Paid Advertisement

Click on the ad for more information.
Please report objectionable advertising to the Editor.

Click or scan to see
this page online

Northwest. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1530 Vermont Avenue Northwest, Washington DC 20009, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. "Contraband" to Community (within shouting distance of this marker); Zalmon Richards House (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); Logan Circle Cistern and BayScape (about 400 feet away); Logan Circle, Just Ahead (about 500 feet away); Like a Village (about 500 feet away); Alain Locke Residence (about 500 feet away); If These Mansions Could Talk (about 700 feet away); Old Korean Legation in Washington, D.C. (about 700 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Northwest Washington.

More about this marker.
Photo caption:
Vermont Avenue Baptist Church, about 1899
Library of Congress

Also see . . . Vermont Avenue Baptist Church: "We've Come This Far by Faith". (Submitted on April 19, 2012, by Richard E. Miller of Oxon Hill, Maryland.)

Additional keywords. "Greater 14th Street"

Photographed By Richard E. Miller, February 25, 2012

2. Vermont Avenue Baptist Church Marker

Vermont Avenue Baptist Church Sign image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Devry Becker Jones (CC0), December 2, 2017

3. Vermont Avenue Baptist Church Sign

Vermont Avenue Baptist Church
1630 Vermont Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20001
Reverend Isaac A. Fox, Interim Pastor
Sunday, December 3, 2017
Worship Service
7:30 AM
Reverend Isaac A. Fox
10:45 AM
Reverend Michael C. Miller
3:00 PM
Reverend Rodney A. Teal
Jerusalem Baptist Church

Vermont Avenue Baptist Church, ca. 1899 image. Click for full size.

Library of Congress

4. Vermont Avenue Baptist Church, ca. 1899

This photo (used on marker) was reportedly displayed at the American Negro Exhibit at the Paris Exposition of 1900.

Vermont Avenue Baptist Church image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Richard E. Miller, February 25, 2012

5. Vermont Avenue Baptist Church

Photographed By Allen C. Browne, November 30, 2014

6. Vermont Avenue Baptist Church

Photographed By Allen C. Browne, November 30, 2014

7. Cornerstone

Vermont Avenue
Baptist Church
Organized
June 5 A.D. 1866
Built 1872
Remodeled 1890

Rev. John Henry Brooks image. Click for full size.

February 25, 2012

8. Rev. John Henry Brooks

- civilian teamster for the U.S. Army during the Civil War, and the first pastor of the Vermont Avenue Baptist Church.

Credits. This page was last revised on January 30, 2023. It was originally submitted on April 19, 2012, by Richard E. Miller of Oxon Hill, Maryland. This page has been viewed 956 times since then and 37 times this year. Last updated on February 19, 2020, by Bruce Guthrie of Silver Spring, Maryland. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on April 19, 2012, by Richard E. Miller of Oxon Hill, Maryland. 3. submitted on December 2, 2017, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. 4. submitted on December 13, 2014, by Allen C. Browne of Silver Spring, Maryland. 5. submitted on April 19, 2012, by Richard E. Miller of Oxon Hill, Maryland. 6, 7. submitted on December 13, 2014, by Allen C. Browne of Silver Spring, Maryland. 8. submitted on April 19, 2012, by Richard E. Miller of Oxon Hill, Maryland. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.