First Baptist Church - Williamsburg, VA
Posted by: 
bluesnote
N 37° 16.429 W 076° 42.650
18S E 348319 N 4126620
A new state marker located at a historic church in downtown Williamsburg.
Waymark Code: WM11W95
Location: Virginia, United States
Date Posted: 12/27/2019
Views: 2
The plaque says, "This church, home to one of the oldest continuous congregations organized by African Americans, traces its origins to brush arbor meetings held by 1776 at a nearby plantation. The congregation moved to a Williamsburg carriage house and in 1856 completed a brick sanctuary on Nassau Street. A school for black students opened there in the 1860s. The Rev. John Dawson, longtime pastor, served in the Senate of Virginia from 1874 to 1877. First Baptists move its sanctuary here in 1956. During the Civil Rights era, the Rev. David Collins led demonstrations for fair hiring practices and joined the Southern Christal Leadership Conferences. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. spoke here in 1962."
Civil Right Type: Race (includes U.S. Civil Rights movement)
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Visit Instructions:
You must have visited the site in person, not online.