In Galveston, Texas, this month the Baptist-supported American Missionary Association and the Freedmen’s Bureau conduct “Sunday schools and church services in addition to regular school.” One Sunday school among Freedmen, touted as the largest in town, boasts some fifty students who are reading the Bible, an impressive achievement in the context that only a few…
In South Carolina’s Low Country, former wealthy plantation owners seek re-possession of the lands and homes they abandoned during the war. Among those trying to regain their property are many of the richest Americans prior to the war, their wealth bound up in hundreds or thousands of slaves and massive land holdings. During the war…
Prior to this month, the only African American Baptist churches in the state of Missouri are located in St. Louis, Hannibal, St. Joseph, Jefferson City and (possibly) Lexington. Now, a new church joins this short list: the First Colored Baptist Church of Warrensburg. Many other black Baptist congregations are also birthed this month, including the…