Alexander Memorial Baptist Church facts for kids

The Alexander Memorial Baptist Church is a Baptist church located in Upper Marlboro, Maryland, USA. It was started in 1908 by a group of people who left another church. They named it after Reverend Sandy Alexander, who had been enslaved and founded their old church.

For over 100 years, the church was in Georgetown, a neighborhood in Washington, D.C.. It was in an area called Herring Hill, where many African Americans lived. The church was one of several important churches for the Black community there.

The church bought a piece of land that included the old home of a famous astronomer, Asaph Hall. They built their church building next to his house. Over time, the Georgetown neighborhood changed a lot. Many church members moved away. In 2013, the church decided to sell its old building and move to suburban Maryland. Most of their members lived there by then. They have been in their new church building in Upper Marlboro since 2016.

The old church building and Asaph Hall's house in Georgetown were sold. They were turned into fancy homes and apartments.

Church History

How the Church Started

Reverend Sandy Alexander, who the church is named after.

In the 1800s, a part of Georgetown became a special place for African Americans. This area was called Herring Hill. It was about 15 blocks big and was home to around 1,000 Black families. The name "Herring Hill" came from the fish, herring, that people used to catch in Rock Creek. These fish were an important food source for the residents.

Herring Hill had many homes and businesses owned by African Americans. It also had several important black churches. These included Mount Zion United Methodist Church, First Baptist Church, Jerusalem Baptist Church, and Epiphany Catholic Church.

The Alexander Memorial Baptist Church began on July 26, 1908. It was started by 84 members who left First Baptist Church. They left because they did not like the new pastor. The new church was named after Reverend Sandy Alexander. He was the person who founded First Baptist Church and had been enslaved.

Reverend W. Bishop Carroll helped organize the new church. He was the pastor of Second Baptist Church. The new group first met in a home. Then they moved to a hall called Odd Fellows Hall.

Building the Church

In November 1908, the Alexander Memorial Baptist Church bought some land. This land included a three-story house that was built in 1810. This house used to be the home of astronomer Asaph Hall and his family. The church first thought about turning the house into their church building. But by May 1909, they decided to build a new church next to the house. The first plan was for a one-story building.

They started building on August 19, 1909. Many people came to a short ceremony for the start of construction. Several reverends spoke at the event.

The special cornerstone ceremony happened soon after, on October 31. The church choir sang, and someone read from the Bible. Many people gave speeches, including the President of the Board of Commissioners and the President of Howard University. A group called the Grand Lodge of the Knights of Jerusalem helped lay the cornerstone.

Later Years and Moving

The church building in 2009.

Reverend W. Bishop Carroll was the pastor until 1914. Other pastors led the church after him. In the 1930s, the Georgetown area began to change a lot. New laws and changes in the neighborhood made it harder for African American residents to stay. Between 1930 and 1960, the number of African Americans living in Georgetown dropped a lot.

During these changes, Reverend Charles S. Pryor was the pastor from 1942 to 1972. While he was pastor, the church paid off its building loans. Reverend James A. Godfrey was pastor from 1973 to 1988. In the mid-1980s, the old house they bought in 1908 was turned into the Charles S. Pryor Fellowship Hall. By this time, only about 125 active members were left in the church. Half of them no longer lived in the neighborhood. Reverend Jesse W. Plater has been the church's pastor since 2005.

Selling and Relocating

In June 2013, the pastor and church members decided to sell their property. They wanted to move to suburban Maryland, where most members lived. Not everyone was happy with this decision. Some members worried about not having a place to go. With this 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 listed for sale. A real estate company bought the property for about $7.56 million. They planned to turn the fellowship hall into a single home. They also wanted to turn the church building into three apartment units. This change of churches into homes is a trend in the area. Many churches have fewer members, so they sell their buildings.

The former church building in 2022, now converted into homes.

The project to change the church into homes was called 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. The old church building was turned into three apartment units. Each unit had three bedrooms and three bathrooms. These units also offered special services like valet parking.

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