Michigan Avenue Baptist Church - Buffalo, NY
Posted by: 
Rayman
N 42° 53.174 W 078° 52.049
17T E 674141 N 4750387
The Michigan Avenue Baptist Church was the first all black church in Buffalo and also an important stop on the Underground Railroad.
Waymark Code: WM1J5C
Location: New York, United States
Date Posted: 05/16/2007
Views: 73
The following is an excerpt from the book
New York: A Guide to the Empire State in the Buffalo Points of Interest section.
The MICHIGAN AVENUE BAPTIST CHURCH, 511 Michigan Ave., is a plain red brick structure with a high stone basement. Because they felt ill at ease in a church dominated by white folk, about 35 Negro members of the First Baptist Church withdrew in 1839 to organize the first Negro congregation in Buffalo. Services were first conducted in this building in 1845. The original pews have been replaced and are stored in the basement.
The building was an important station on the Underground Railroad. Many Negro families in Canadian towns near the border retain an affection for this church as the place from which their parents or grandparents made their last dash to freedom.
The congregation celebrated their final services in their church on February 24, 1962 when they moved to a new home. Today the church is part of an African-American Heritage District and is in the process of being converted to a museum.