County of house: Cooper County
Location of house: Morgan St., 3rd Bldg. W of 9th St., N side, Boonville
Built: 1884, 1928
Architect: Unknown
Architectural Style: Gothic Revival
Original Occupant: Second Baptist Church
Current Occupant: Morgan Street Baptist Church
District Map
"60. Morgan Street Baptist Church, 811 Morgan Street, 1884. This brick Gothic style structure has a corner tower. A vestibule and rear chapel were added in 1928." ~ NRHP Nomination Form
"Built: 1884, 1928
Style/Design: Gothic
A square two story tower is on the SW corner of the structure. The pointed arched windows have tracery and projecting brick hood molds with labels. There is a circular window on the S facade, as well as corbelled pilasters at each corner. A corbelled string course is evident at the floor level, at the raking cornice and above the central door. A later addition is a
projecting 1 story hip roofed enclosed brick entrance. Architectural motifs on the E & W facades echo the primary facade.
There is a brick addition to the NW. Additions to the N include restrooms. Some windows along the E facade basement level have been bricked in. Most additions were complete by 1929.
"The Morgan Street Baptist Church was formed in 1865 with
52 members under the pastorship of Grandison Roberts, a blacksmith-preacher. Meeting two evenings a week at the First Baptist Church Building, 518 Vine St., the congregation soon saw the need for their own church building. Between November 1865 and December 1867 the congregation met in a blacksmith shop located at 214 9th St. During this period the present church lot was purchased and a simple frame church was erected slightly to the north of the existing structure. Completed in 1867 it served the needs of the congregation till it was destroyed by fire in 1884. In 1884 the present brick structure was built. In 1928 new additions included the vestibule and the rear chapel. Additional changes include the renovating of the basement into a kitchen and dining area in 1944 and the replacing of the brick sidewalk to the south in 1956. The Rev. R.E. Andrews is the 18th
minister to serve the needs of the congregation.
This church is historically important on a local level for its role in the black segment of this community.
"There are no outbuildings, however, in 1910 there was a dwelling to the N of the church. The structure faces S onto Morgan St. An alley runs immediately to the W of the Church." ~ Boonville Historic Survey PDF pages 2363-2368
"Second Baptist Church, Colored, is located on Morgan Street, Boonville. It was organized in 1865
by Rev. W. P. Brooks. A building was erected in 1870 at a cost of $1,600. There were 216 members
in 1883. Original members were: Richard Taylor and wife, William Jackson and wife, Dilcey
Thomas, Rebecca Sharp, Hannah Alexander, Washington Whittleton, Minerva Smith, Jane Smith,
Duke Diggs and wife, G. Fowler and wife, Jane Douglass, Ellen Woods, Abbey Smith, Green Smith,
Cynthia Nelson, P. Watkins, P. Wilson
"Morgan Street Baptist Church was organized in 1865, the first church serving the Black Community.
The first part of the present building was built in 1884, with an addition added in 1928. It is listed
on the National Register of Historic Sites." ~ MoGenWeb
Visit Instructions:1) A photo of the church is required for visits to a waymark.
2) Please share some comments about your visit.
3) Additional photos are encouraged. If you can have information in addition to that already provided about this church, please share it with us.