Today in Montgomery, Alabama an “old negro woman” enters one of city’s “principle churches,” walks down the church aisle, and sits down in a seat of her choice. The woman, after all, is now free. Or so she might think. A white church member quickly intercedes, “politely” telling her that the church has “prepared another…
Bethel Baptist Institutional Church of Jacksonville, Florida, the oldest Baptist church in the state, is claimed by both white and black members. As related by one historian: “Instituted in 1838 by James McDonald and Ryan Frier, who served as co-pastors, Bethel Baptist’s congregation numbered six charter members including two slaves called Bacchus and Peggy. Church…
The formation of African American Baptist churches in the South continues unabated. Among the many congregations established this month is the Beards Chapel Baptist Church of Robertson County, Tennessee. Black churches, however, are often used for more than worship services. In Macon, Georgia, one of the South’s newest Freedmen schools operates out of an African…