First Missionary Baptist Church Bell Tower - Fernandina Beach, FL
N 30° 40.188 W 081° 27.484
17R E 456119 N 3393097
The First Missionary Baptist Church in Fernandina Beach, Florida, USA, has a bell tower.
Waymark Code: WMA5YA
Location: Florida, United States
Date Posted: 11/21/2010
Views: 2
This is a lovely white wood frame church with a steeple that includes a bell tower and a spire. An undated stone on the church's foundation reads "First Colored Baptist Church." Reverend Darien K. Bolden is the Pastor.
Adjacent to the church is its Emma B. Delaney Fellowship Hall, which was erected in 1979. A blue plaque recognizing Emma B. Delaney is located on the Fellowship Hall.
The following is a biography of Emma B. Delaney posted on the Great Floridians 2000 Program website (visit link): "Emma B. Delaney, born in 1871, was the first African-American female missionary sent to Africa. Born in Fernandina, she completed missionary and nursing training at Spelman College. In 1902 she sailed to British Central Africa and helped establish the Providence Industrial Mission in Malawi. Returning to the United States in 1906 she lectured on her experiences and began raising money to return to Africa. In 1912 she went to Liberia and founded the Suehn Industrial mission near Monrovia, a mission that provided education, industrial arts, home economics and health care. In 1922 she returned to United States and died the same year of tropical fever. Emma Delaney Day is celebrated in Florida Baptist Churches the third Sunday in May. Her Great Floridian plaque is located at the First Missionary Baptist Church, 22 South 9th Street, Fernandina Beach."