Michigan Street Baptist Church - Buffalo, NY
Posted by: 
Rayman
N 42° 53.174 W 078° 52.049
17T E 674141 N 4750387
Buffalo's best known Underground Railroad site.
Waymark Code: WMVFH
Location: New York, United States
Date Posted: 10/16/2006
Views: 192
The First Baptist Church was home to the first black congregation of any denomination in the City of Buffalo. In 1842 they adopted a resolution opposing slavery. "Resolved, that the System of Slavery is alike opposed to the spirit of the Gospel and the Principles of Justice, that we have no fellowship with it, and we recommend to the members of our Churches the use of all suitable means to effect its entire abolition." Black abolitionists like Frederick Douglass, William Wells Brown, Henry Highland Garnet, Martin Delany and others, made frequent stops in Buffalo to speak at anti-slavery gatherings. By 1849, the First Baptist Church moved to their new permanent home and became the Michigan Street Baptist Church. Although providing assistance to fugitive slaves was a violation of federal law, it was widely held that the Michigan Street Baptist Church was a station on the underground railroad. The basement of this church was one of the final stops before escaping to Canada.
Address:
511 Michigan Ave
Buffalo, NY United States
14203
Open to the public?: Public
Name of organization who placed the marker: Buffalo & Erie County Historical Society
Web site: Not listed
Site Details: Not listed
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