First African Baptist Church History, 1976 (S0006)
0.01 cubic foot, 1 folder
The First African Baptist Church History contains a four-page document that briefly describes the history of African-Americans in St. Louis as well as the First African Baptist Church in St. Louis. The church was founded in 1827 by Reverend John Berry Meachum and is the oldest African-American church west of the Mississippi River. Many of the original congregation consisted of slaves, who were permitted by their owners to attend. A physical church was built two years following the organization’s inception and went through two other location changes to accommodate the rapid growth of the church’s congregation.
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