St. Louis Street Missionary Baptist Church facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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St. Louis Street Missionary Baptist Church
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St. Louis Street Missionary Baptist Church in 2009
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 Location in Mobile, Alabama
Location in Alabama
Location in the United States
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| Location | 108 N. Dearborn Street Mobile, Alabama |
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| Built | 1872 |
| Architect | Hutchinsson, C.L.; et al. |
| Architectural style | Classical Revival, Renaissance |
| Restored | 1897 |
| NRHP reference No. | 76000347 |
| Added to NRHP | October 08, 1976 |
St. Louis Street Missionary Baptist Church is an important old church in Mobile, Alabama. It is a special place for African American history. This church was added to the National Register of Historic Places on October 8, 1976. This means it is recognized as a very important building because of its design and its history.
Contents
History of the Church
Early Beginnings
St. Louis Street Missionary Baptist Church started from another church in Mobile. This first church was called the African Baptist Church. It was located near Springhill Avenue and Ann Street. People were already meeting there by 1836.
By 1839, the church built its own building. Later, this church became known as the Stone Street Baptist Church.
A New Church Forms
There was a disagreement in the original church. Some members wanted to support a program to spread their faith across the state. Because of this, some members decided to start a new church. This new group would become the St. Louis Street Missionary Baptist Church.
At first, the new church met near Springhill Avenue and Broad Street. But by 1859, they bought land on Dearborn Street. This is where the church stands today.
First Pastors and New Building
The first pastor for the new church was Reverend Joshua Hawthorn. He was a white Baptist minister. Reverend Hawthorn left in 1860. After him, Reverend Charles Leavens became the pastor. He was the first African American minister for the church.
The church sent people all over Alabama to help start new churches. This helped many new churches and pastors join their movement. The church built its current building in 1872. A local architect named C. L. Hutchinsson designed it.
Important Meetings and Education
The new building hosted a very important meeting in 1874. This was the seventh Colored Baptist Convention of Alabama. This meeting led to the creation of Selma University in 1878. Selma University is a historically Black university.
The church building was also repaired and improved many times. One big restoration happened in 1897.
See also
- List of Baptist churches in Alabama
