First African Baptist grew out of First Baptist, which was established in 1780 and included African-Americans among its members. In 1841, white members built a new First Baptist Church, allowing freed and enslaved black people to buy the original building and start First African Baptist Church. First African Baptist replaced the building in 1876 and then sold it in the 1950s to move to the church’s current home on Hanes Avenue in North Side.
Stories this photo appears in:
City’s first Black pastor of a ‘megachurch’ and others still largely unknown
The Rev. James Henry Holmes remains one of the unsung notables of Jackson Ward who has not been recognized with a City Council resolution and honorary street sign.
