First Baptist Church, Raleigh, North Carolina
Posted by: 
showbizkid
N 35° 46.864 W 078° 38.410
17S E 713291 N 3962235
The congregation at First Baptist Church was formed in 1812 and originally met at the original State Capitol Building. This is the second building the church has owned and was built in 1859. It is one of two First Baptist Churches in the capitol area, the other is two blocks away and was formed from black members of this church in 1868.
Waymark Code: WMJ1N
Location: North Carolina, United States
Date Posted: 07/23/2006
Views: 23
When the Baptist church in Raleigh was organized in 1812 on the second floor of the original State Capitol Building, there were 23 charter members.
Thomas Crocker became pastor of the church in 1821 and baptized Lucinda Briggs in 1822, reportedly by breaking ice in the river during the midst of winter. The membership grew to a total of 224 in 1826. A new building was completed and dedicated in 1840 on the site where First Baptist Church, Wilmington Street, is now located.
In the 1850s, the congregation experienced rapid growth and renewed vitality under the leadership of Pastor Thomas E. Skinner, who led the church to construct the present sanctuary in 1859. The lower level of the building was used as a Confederate hospital during the war between the states.
First Baptist started as a bi-racial congregation, but in 1868 there was a peaceful separation of the black and white congregations when the newly emancipated black members established their own congregation two blocks away. It is also called First Baptist Church.
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