Holt Street Baptist Church facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Holt Street Baptist Church |
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Holt Street Baptist Church
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 Holt Street Baptist Church
Location in Alabama
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| 32°21′53″N 86°19′13″W / 32.36472°N 86.32028°W | |
| Location | Montgomery, Alabama |
| Country | United States |
| Denomination | Baptist |
| History | |
| Status | Church |
| Founded | 1909 |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | Museum renovations currently underway. |
| Years built | 1913 |
| Closed | 1998 |
| Demolished | |
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Alabama Register of Landmarks and Heritage
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| Designated | May 26, 1986 |
The Holt Street Baptist Church is an important historic church in Montgomery, Alabama, United States. It is a Baptist church. This church was a key meeting place for the African-American community during the Montgomery bus boycott. The original building was built in 1913. The church moved to a new location in 1998.
Contents
A Look Back at Holt Street Church
The Holt Street Baptist Church started in 1909. Its building, found at Holt Street and Bullock Street, was finished in 1913. The first pastor was I.S. Fountain. Later, from 1939 to 1952, Charles Kenzie Steele was the pastor.
The Montgomery Bus Boycott
On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks was arrested. She refused to give up her seat on a Montgomery bus to a white passenger. This event sparked a major protest.
The Women's Political Council helped organize a boycott. This group was an African-American civil rights organization. They asked black citizens to stop riding the city's buses.
Leaflets were given out to thousands of people. They said: "don't ride the bus to work, to town, to school, or anyplace Monday, December 5". The leaflets also asked people to "come to a mass meeting Monday at 7:00 pm at the Holt Street Baptist Church for further instructions".
The boycott began on Monday, December 5, 1955. This was the same day Rosa Parks went to court. That evening, a big meeting was held at the Holt Street Baptist Church. People gathered to see if the boycott was working.
The Holt Street Church was chosen because it was large and central. It had a big basement for hundreds of people. The main room was also very spacious. Loudspeakers were set up in smaller rooms and outside. This allowed thousands of people to hear.
A young pastor named Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. spoke at this meeting. He was from the city's Dexter Avenue Baptist Church. King talked about the unfair treatment faced by black citizens. He said that people get tired of being treated badly.
Rosa Parks later wrote about the meeting. She said the church was so full that people spilled into the street. Speakers were set up outside for everyone. She felt that something powerful was beginning.
This meeting at the Holt Street Baptist Church started the Montgomery bus boycott. The boycott lasted for a whole year.
Boycott Success and End
A court case called Browder v. Gayle was started. It argued that bus segregation was against the law. On November 14, 1956, the Supreme Court made a decision. They ordered Alabama to end bus segregation.
That evening, more meetings were held. One was at the Holt Street Baptist Church. King spoke at these meetings. About 8,000 people voted to end the boycott. They agreed to stop boycotting once the Supreme Court's decision took effect.
On December 3, 1956, King returned to the Holt Street Baptist Church. He gave a speech called "Facing the Challenge of the New Age". This was the first speech of a week-long event. The event was called the "Institute of Non-Violence and Social Change". It was organized by the Montgomery Improvement Association.
Church Moves to a New Home
In 1998, the Holt Street Baptist Church moved. The congregation went to a new complex. This new place is called "The Village". It is located on South Court Street in Montgomery.
See also
- List of Baptist churches in Alabama
