Orchard Street United Methodist Church - Baltimore MD - U.S. National Register of Historic Places on Waymarking.com

TEXT from the Historical Marker mounted on the building and erected by the Mayor of the City of Baltimore:

"Orchard Street Church- In 1882, when the present building of the Orchard Street Methodist Episcopal Church was dedicated, it was called “an honor to the colored race and handsome ornament to the city.” The Orchard Street congregation commissioned architect Frank E. Davis to design a new place of worship, as it had outgrown its previous structure. The 1882 building is the third church erected for the congregation on this site.
Truman Pratt, a former slave of John Eager Howard, founded the congregation in 1825. In 1837, the employers of Pratt’s wife donated land at Orchard Street near Ross Street (now Druid Hill Avenue) on which to build a church. According to legend, slaves and freeman built the church at night under the flickering light of torches held by the women. The first church was completed in 1839. A second church stood on this site from 1853 to 1882.

“Father Pratt, “ as Truman Pratt came to be called, was not an ordained minister, but acted as elder and trustee of the church. He remained an active participant in the church’s activities until his death in 1877 at the age of 102.

Demolition threatened this historic church in the early 1970s, but the intervention of neighborhood groups saved the building for future generations.
(Inscription under the image on the right)
Interior, Orchard Street Church.

Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, Mayor-Baltimore City Landmark, National Register of Historic Places."

Street address: 512 Orchard Street Baltimore, MD USA 21201 County / Borough / Parish: Baltimore City Year listed: 1975 Historic (Areas of) Significance: Event, Architecture/Engineering Periods of significance: 1850-1874, 1825-1849 Historic function: Religion Current function: Work In Progress Privately owned?: yes Primary Web Site: [Web Link] Secondary Website 1: [Web Link] Season start / Season finish: Not listed Hours of operation: Not listed Secondary Website 2: Not listed National Historic Landmark Link: Not listed

Visit Instructions:
Please give the date and brief account of your visit. Include any additional observations or information that you may have, particularly about the current condition of the site. Additional photos are highly encouraged, but not mandatory.

Recent Visits/Logs:

Date Logged Log User Rating   09/14/2021 Don.Morfe visited it 08/01/2010 Searcher28 visited it

View all visits/logs