The coastal town of Fernandina, Florida has been occupied by Union forces since March 1862. The capture of the town had proven surprisingly easy. Despite the area’s heavy fortifications, the Confederates had abandoned the city without a fight. Fort Clinch, guarding the entrance to Fernandina but deserted upon the approach of Union naval forces, was…
Black Baptists have been well-established in Norfolk and Portsmouth, Virginia since the early nineteenth century. Their vibrant presence is testimony to the acceptance of blacks in Baptist churches, a preponderance of free blacks in the area, and three decades (the 1820s-1850s) as a disembarkation point for African American missionaries traveling to Liberia through the efforts…
First Baptist Ellettsville, Indiana was established in 1858 by 28 persons, men and women, who initially met in members’ homes to worship and pray. Within a few short years, the congregation constructed a simple meeting house, a frame building costing a mere $95. The price of the church building reveals the common folk nature of…