Alexander Memorial Baptist Church facts for kids

Alexander Memorial Baptist Church is a Baptist church located at 10675 Crain Highway in Upper Marlboro, Maryland, USA. It was started in 1908 by a group of members who left First Baptist Church in Georgetown, Washington, D.C.. The church was named to honor Reverend Sandy Alexander, who founded First Baptist Church. He was a formerly enslaved person.

For over 100 years, the church met in a building on N Street NW in Georgetown. This area was known as Herring Hill, a special neighborhood where about 1,000 African Americans families lived. Alexander Memorial Baptist Church was one of five black churches built there.

The church bought land that included the old home of astronomer Asaph Hall. They built their main church building right next to this house. The first stone for the new church was placed in 1909. Over time, the neighborhood started to change a lot, and many African American families moved away. By the 1980s, half of the church members no longer lived in Georgetown. In 2013, the church leaders decided to sell the property and move to suburban Maryland, where many members now lived. They have been meeting in their current church building in Upper Marlboro since 2016.

The old church building and Hall's former house in Georgetown were sold for about $7.5 million. A real estate company turned them into fancy homes. The church building became three condominiums, each costing around $2-2.5 million. The house next door became a large home listed for almost $6.8 million.

History

How the Church Started

Reverend Sandy Alexander, the person Alexander Memorial Baptist Church is named after.

In the 1800s, the eastern part of Georgetown became a special area for African Americans. This 15-block area was called Herring Hill. It was roughly bordered by P Street NW, 29th Street NW, M Street NW, and Rock Creek Park. The name Herring Hill came from the fish once caught in Rock Creek. These fish were an important food source for the African American families living there. About 1,000 families eventually lived in Herring Hill.

Besides homes and businesses, several black churches were also built in Herring Hill. These included Mount Zion United Methodist Church (1814), First Baptist Church (1862), Jerusalem Baptist Church (1870), and Epiphany Catholic Church (1923). Alexander Memorial Baptist Church was founded on July 26, 1908. It was started by 84 members of First Baptist Church who disagreed with their new pastor. The church was named after Reverend Sandy Alexander, who founded First Baptist Church and was a formerly enslaved person.

Reverend W. Bishop Carroll helped organize the new church. He was the pastor of Second Baptist Church. The new congregation first met in Mary Lee's home. Later, they moved to the Odd Fellows Hall.

The Church Building

In November 1908, the Alexander Memorial Baptist Church bought some land. This included a three-story house at 2715 N Street NW. This house was built in 1810 and used to be the home of astronomer Asaph Hall and his family. The church first planned to turn the house into their church building. But by May 1909, they decided to build a new church right next to the house. The first design was for a one-story building that would cost $15,000.

Construction for the new building began on August 19, 1909. Many people came to a short ceremony for the start of the building. Reverend Carroll and other church leaders spoke at the event.

The cornerstone ceremony happened soon after, on October 31. The church choir sang, and Isaac Clarke from Howard University read from the Bible. Reverend J.T. Smith prayed. Many people gave speeches, including Henry Brown Floyd MacFarland, who was the President of the Board of Commissioners. The Grand Lodge of the Knights of Jerusalem marched with a band and helped lay the cornerstone.

Later Years

The church building in 2009.

Reverend Carroll was the pastor of Alexander Memorial Baptist Church until 1914. Other pastors followed, including Reverend James L. Garfield and Reverend Leroy Fraser. Starting in the 1930s, the neighborhood of Herring Hill and Georgetown began to change a lot. Many African American residents moved away. Between 1930 and 1960, the number of African Americans in Georgetown dropped from 30% to 9%.

During these changes, Reverend Charles S. Pryor led the church from 1942 to 1972. While he was pastor, the church paid off its loans, even one for big renovations. Reverend James A. Godfrey was pastor from 1973 to 1988. In the mid-1980s, the old house bought in 1908 was turned into the Charles S. Pryor Fellowship Hall. By this time, the church had about 125 active members. Only half of them still lived in the neighborhood. After Reverend Godfrey retired, other pastors led the church, including Reverend Lamar McClain and Reverend Marvin W. Rodgers, Jr. The current pastor, Reverend Jesse W. Plater, has led the church since 2005.

Selling and Moving

In June 2013, the pastor and church members decided to sell the church property. They planned to move to suburban Maryland, where most members lived. Not everyone was happy with this decision. Some members worried about not having a new place to go right away. With the church moving, only three African American churches remained in the area. The congregation had its last service in Georgetown on December 28, 2014.

The property, which included the church and fellowship hall, was first listed for $7.5 million. The price was later lowered to $6.5 million. A race car driver named Will Langhorne was interested in buying it to turn it into a home, but he changed his mind. Because the buildings are important historical parts of Georgetown, any changes had to be approved by a special board.

The former church buildings in 2022.

A real estate company called SGA Companies bought the property for $7.56 million. They planned to turn the fellowship hall into one large home. They also wanted to make the church building into two apartments. Neighbors and local government groups disagreed with some of their plans. In the end, SGA decided to turn the church building into three apartments instead of two. Converting old church buildings into homes is a common trend in the area. This happens when churches have fewer members for different reasons. Other local churches that were sold and turned into apartments include Faith Baptist Church and Mount Joy Baptist Church.

The project to convert the church was named Alexander Hall. The old fellowship hall was renamed Hall House, honoring the Hall family who lived there before. Hall House became a large home with seven bedrooms and seven bathrooms. It even had an elevator and a wine cellar. Its asking price was almost $6.8 million. The old church building became three apartments. Each had three bedrooms and three bathrooms. They were listed for between $1.995 million and $2.495 million. These apartments also offered special services like valet parking and access to a spa at a nearby hotel. Both buildings were available for sale together for about $13 million.

After leaving Georgetown, the Alexander Memorial Baptist Church congregation met at an elementary school in District Heights, Maryland, for 18 months. In 2016, the church moved to its new building in Upper Marlboro. The first service there was held on July 3.

Images for kids

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  Reverend Sandy Alexander, the person Alexander Memorial Baptist Church is named after.

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  The church building in 2009.

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  The former church buildings in 2022.