OLDEST - Shelby County's oldest African American congregation- Gray's Creek Baptist Church - Arlington TN
Posted by: 
Don.Morfe
N 35° 12.702 W 089° 40.866
16S E 255946 N 3899814
Gray's Creek Baptist Church is Shelby County's oldest African American congregation. It was founded by two free men of color, preachers Simon Price and Joseph "Free Joe" Harris, and numerous slaves.
Waymark Code: WM16ZYN
Location: Tennessee, United States
Date Posted: 11/09/2022
Views: 0
LOCATION: 3141 Inglewood Place, Arlington TN 38002
TEXT ON THE HISTORICAL MARKER
Gray's Creek Baptist Church. This church is Shelby County's oldest African American congregation. It was founded by two free men of color, preachers Simon Price and Joseph "Free Joe" Harris, and numerous slaves, right after its former occupant, a white congregation, vacated the premises around 1840. Historical evidence indicates that the elder Price was the congregation's first pastor. The Baptists, in 1843, adopted the name Gray's Creek, after the then name of the road on which it is located. This church also served as a school for African Americans, beginning right after slavery ended in 1865, and continuing until the establishment of county schools in 1918.
Erected 2011 by Descendants of the Founders, and the Shelby County Historical Commission.
Type of documentation of superlative status: Historical Marker
Location of coordinates: At the marker
Web Site: [Web Link]
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