The sanctuary of the First Baptist Church of Washington, D.C., has sat vacant for over two years. Constructed in 1833, the building was abandoned when the First Baptist congregation, also known as the Tenth Street Baptist Church, merged with the nearby Fourth Baptist Church in 1859. The empty building is in a choice location and…
The “Jackson Greys” regiment of Virginia, formed on the grounds of the Pleasant Grove Baptist Church, this month is transferred to Sewell’s Point on the coast. Located at the mouth of Hampton Roads, Sewell’s Point is a major strategic coastal point in the war. On May 18-19, 1861, Federal gunboats exchanged fire with Confederate batteries…
New York Senator Ira Harris (1802-1875), close political friend of U. S. President Abraham Lincoln, is one the nation’s most prominent Baptists. His name also graces New York’s 2nd Regiment Calvary, known as the “Harris Light Calvary.” Today William O. Stoddard, White House assistant and columnist for the New York Examiner, speaks of Harris in…