Twelfth Baptist Church

Last updated
"Church of the Fugitive Slaves in Boston," from Anthony Burns: A History by Charles E. Stevens, 1856. Church of the Fugitive Slaves in Boston.jpg
"Church of the Fugitive Slaves in Boston," from Anthony Burns: A History by Charles E. Stevens, 1856.

The Twelfth Baptist Church is a historic church in the Roxbury neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts. Established in 1840, it is the oldest direct descendant of the First Independent Baptist Church in Beacon Hill. Notable members have included abolitionists such as Lewis Hayden and Rev. Leonard Grimes, the historian George Washington Williams, the artist Edward Mitchell Bannister, abolitionist and entrepreneur Christiana Carteaux, pioneering educator Wilhelmina Crosson, and civil rights movement leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Contents

History

Title page of History of the Twelfth Baptist Church by George Washington Williams, 1874 History-of-the-Twelfth-Baptist-Church-Boston-Mass-From-1840-to-1874-With-a-Statement-and-Appeal-in-Behalf-of-the-Church-page3.jpeg
Title page of History of the Twelfth Baptist Church by George Washington Williams, 1874

The Twelfth Baptist Church was established in 1840 when a group of 36 dissenters broke with the First Independent Baptist Church, which met in what is now known as the African Meeting House. The exact reason for the split is not clear. According to some historians, the dissenters wanted to take a more aggressive stand against slavery than the other members. [1] In addition, the First Independent Baptist Church had not had a permanent minister for some time, which may have given rise to general disagreements as to how to run the church. [2]

Led by Rev. George H. Black, a Baptist minister and native of the West Indies, the new congregation moved to Phillips Street in Beacon Hill. The Rev. Leonard Grimes was ordained as its first pastor in 1848. Grimes was an abolitionist and Underground Railroad conductor who had served two years in prison for attempting to rescue a family of slaves in Virginia. Under his leadership, the church became known as "The Fugitive Slave Church." Scores of escaped slaves were aided by the church, and many chose to join the congregation. Early members included Lewis and Harriet Hayden, Shadrach Minkins, Anthony Burns, Thomas Sims, Peter Randolph, and John S. Rock. [3] [4] Grimes served as pastor until his death in 1873. [5]

In 1907, the church moved to the former Jewish temple Mishkan Tefila at 47 Shawmut Avenue in Roxbury. It later moved to its current location at 150-160 Warren Street. [1]

The church has had many notable pastors and members. Rev. George Washington Williams, its second pastor, was a Civil War veteran, lawyer, journalist, and groundbreaking historian. Williams wrote a history of the church in 1874. Rev. J. Allen Kirk wrote an oft-cited account of the Wilmington massacre of 1898. [6] Rev. Matthew A. N. Shaw was president of the National Equal Rights League of Boston, and organized the Negro Sanhedrin conference of 1924. [7]

Noted educator Wilhelmina Crosson taught Sunday School at the Twelfth Baptist Church in the 1940s. One of the first African-American female schoolteachers in Boston, Crosson developed the city's first remedial reading program, and was an early advocate of black history education. [8]

Rev. William Hunter Hester wrote a history of the Twelfth Baptist Church in 1946. In the 1950s, he worked with a young assistant minister who was pursuing doctoral studies in theology at Boston University: Martin Luther King Jr. Hester was an old friend of King's father, and was an important influence on King. [9]

Rev. Dr. Michael E. Haynes was active in the civil rights movement and represented Roxbury in the Massachusetts House of Representatives in the 1960s. [10] Haynes was instrumental in founding the Boston/Roxbury campus of Godron-Conwell Theological Seminary -- known as the Center for Urban Ministerial Education (CUME) -- in 1976 to provide "ministerial training for Hispanic/Latino, African American, Asian and other ethnic minority pastors and church leaders in Boston and throughout the U.S." [11] [ circular reference ]

On September 20th 2021, King Boston donated $1 million to support the church.

Pastors

Pastors of the Twelfth Baptist Church to date: [12]

  1. Rev. Leonard Grimes (1848–1874)
  2. Rev. George Washington Williams (1874–1876)
  3. Rev. Williams Dennis (1876–1880)
  4. Rev. L. F. Walden (1880–1885)
  5. Rev. Robert Fairfax (1886–1890)
  6. Rev. H. H. Harris (1890–1891)
  7. Rev. J. Allen Kirk (1891–1894)
  8. Rev. John R. McCenny (1894)
  9. Rev. Matthew A. N. Shaw (1894–1922)
  10. Rev. William Hunter Hester (1923–1964)
  11. Rev. Dr. Michael E. Haynes (1964–2004)
  12. Rev. Dr. Arthur T. Gerald, Jr. (2010–Present)

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gordon–Conwell Theological Seminary</span> Theological seminary in Massachusetts

Gordon–Conwell Theological Seminary (GCTS) is an evangelical seminary with its main campus in Hamilton, Massachusetts, and three other campuses in Boston, Massachusetts; Charlotte, North Carolina; and Jacksonville, Florida. According to the Association of Theological Schools, Gordon-Conwell ranks as one of the largest evangelical seminaries in North America in terms of total number of full-time students enrolled.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Martin Luther King Sr.</span> American Baptist preacher (1899–1984)

Martin Luther King Sr. was an African-American Baptist pastor, missionary, and an early figure in the Civil Rights Movement. He was the father and namesake of the civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alberta Williams King</span> Mother of Martin Luther King Jr.

Alberta Christine Williams King was an American civil rights organizer best known as the mother of Martin Luther King Jr., and as the wife of Martin Luther King Sr. She played a significant role in the affairs of the Ebenezer Baptist Church. She was shot and killed in the church by 23-year-old Black Hebrew Israelite Marcus Wayne Chenault six years after the assassination of her eldest son Martin Luther King Jr.

Wyatt Tee Walker was an African-American pastor, national civil rights leader, theologian, and cultural historian. He was a chief of staff for Martin Luther King Jr., and in 1958 became an early board member of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC). He helped found a Congress for Racial Equality (CORE) chapter in 1958. As executive director of the SCLC from 1960 to 1964, Walker helped to bring the group to national prominence. Walker sat at the feet of his mentor, BG Crawley, who was a Baptist Minister in Brooklyn, NY and New York State Judge.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Reeb</span> American activist and minister

James Joseph Reeb was an American Unitarian Universalist minister, pastor, and activist during the civil rights movement in Washington, D.C. and Boston, Massachusetts. While participating in the Selma to Montgomery marches actions in Selma, Alabama, in 1965, he was murdered by white segregationists, dying of head injuries in the hospital two days after being severely beaten. Three men were tried for Reeb's murder but were acquitted by an all-white jury. His murder remains officially unsolved.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">African Meeting House</span> Historic church in Massachusetts, United States

The African Meeting House, also known variously as First African Baptist Church, First Independent Baptist Church and the Belknap Street Church, was built in 1806 and is now the oldest black church edifice still standing in the United States. It is located in the Beacon Hill neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, adjacent to the African-American Abiel Smith School. It is a National Historic Landmark.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boston African American National Historic Site</span> National Historic Site of the United States

The Boston African American National Historic Site, in the heart of Boston, Massachusetts's Beacon Hill neighborhood, interprets 15 pre-Civil War structures relating to the history of Boston's 19th-century African-American community, connected by the Black Heritage Trail. These include the 1806 African Meeting House, the oldest standing black church in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boston Vigilance Committee</span> US abolitionist organization

The Boston Vigilance Committee (1841–1861) was an abolitionist organization formed in Boston, Massachusetts, to protect escaped slaves from being kidnapped and returned to slavery in the South. The Committee aided hundreds of escapees, most of whom arrived as stowaways on coastal trading vessels and stayed a short time before moving on to Canada or England. Notably, members of the Committee provided legal and other aid to George Latimer, Ellen and William Craft, Shadrach Minkins, Thomas Sims, and Anthony Burns.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charles Street African Methodist Episcopal Church</span> Historic church in Massachusetts, United States

Charles Street African Methodist Episcopal Church is an historic African Methodist Episcopal Church at 551 Warren Street in Boston, Massachusetts. The current church building was built in 1888 by J. Williams Beal and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1983.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gillfield Baptist Church (Petersburg, Virginia)</span> Church in Virginia, United States

Gillfield Baptist Church is the second-oldest black Baptist congregation in Petersburg, Virginia and one of the oldest in the nation. It has the oldest handwritten record book of any black church. It was organized in 1797 as a separate, integrated congregation. In 1818 it built its first church at its current lot on Perry Street.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Second Baptist Church (Los Angeles)</span> United States historic place

Second Baptist Church is a historically African-American Baptist church located in South Los Angeles, California. The current Lombardy Romanesque Revival building was built in 1926 and has been listed as a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument (1978) and on the National Register of Historic Places (2009). The church has been an important force in the Civil Rights Movement, hosting national conventions of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored Persons ("NAACP") in 1928, 1942, and 1949, and also serving as the site of important speeches by Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X, and others. It is affiliated with the American Baptist Churches USA and the Progressive National Baptist Convention.

Samuel Snowden was an African-American abolitionist and pastor of the May Street Church, one of the first black Methodist churches in Boston, Massachusetts. Under Reverend Snowden's direction from 1818 to 1850, the May Street Church congregation supported the Underground Railroad; members included several prominent abolitionists, such as David Walker from North Carolina. Snowden was born into slavery in the South, but later reached the North and began his career as a pastor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leonard Grimes</span>

Leonard Andrew Grimes was an African-American abolitionist and pastor. He served as a conductor of the Underground Railroad, including his efforts to free fugitive slave Anthony Burns captured in accordance with the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850. After the Civil War began, Grimes petitioned for African-American enlistment. He then recruited soldiers for the 54th Regiment Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ebenezer Baptist Church</span> Church in Georgia, United States

Ebenezer Baptist Church is a megachurch church located in Atlanta, Georgia, United States, affiliated with the Progressive National Baptist Convention and American Baptist Churches USA. It was the church where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was co-pastor from 1960 until his assassination in 1968, the location of the funerals of both Dr. King and congressman John Lewis, and the church for which United States Senator Raphael Warnock has been pastor since 2005. It is located in the historic area now designated as the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historical Park.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael E. Haynes</span> American politician and minister (1927–2019)

Michael E. Haynes was an American minister and politician in the state of Massachusetts. His parents, Gustavus and Edna, were immigrants from Barbados.

Grace Baptist Church is the legal name of Grace Baptist Temple, an American Baptist congregation founded in North Philadelphia in 1872. It still is active in Blue Bell, PA as Grace Baptist Church of Blue Bell. Under the leadership of Russell H. Conwell, the congregation became one of the largest in the country and was the parent of many other institutions, most notably Temple University and Temple Health.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wilhelmina Marguerita Crosson</span>

Wilhelmina Marguerita Crosson was an educator and school administrator known for her innovative teaching methods. One of the first African-American female schoolteachers in Boston, she developed the city's first remedial reading program in 1935, and was an early advocate of black history education.

The Boston Women's Heritage Trail is a series of walking tours in Boston, Massachusetts, leading past sites important to Boston women's history. The tours wind through several neighborhoods, including the Back Bay and Beacon Hill, commemorating women such as Abigail Adams, Amelia Earhart, and Phillis Wheatley. The guidebook includes seven walks and introduces more than 200 Boston women.

Until 1950, African Americans were a small but historically important minority in Boston, where the population was majority white. Since then, Boston's demographics have changed due to factors such as immigration, white flight, and gentrification. According to census information for 2010–2014, an estimated 180,657 people in Boston are Black/African American, either alone or in combination with another race. Despite being in the minority, and despite having faced housing, educational, and other discrimination, African Americans in Boston have made significant contributions in the arts, politics, and business since colonial times.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joseph Ellwanger</span> American pastor

Joseph W. Ellwanger Jr. is a Lutheran pastor, author, and civil rights activist. He was a key figure in the Civil Rights Movement in Birmingham, Alabama, and the only white religious leader included in strategy meetings with Martin Luther King Jr.

References

  1. 1 2 Vrabel, Jim (2004). When in Boston: A Time Line & Almanac. Northeastern University Press. p. 138. ISBN   1-55553-620-4.
  2. ↑ "History - Anti-Slavery Meetinghouse". Twelfth Baptist Church, Boston.
  3. ↑ "African American Churches of Beacon Hill". National Park Service.
  4. ↑ "Peter Randolph". U.S. National Park Service. Retrieved 2021-12-18.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  5. ↑ Hayden, Robert C. (1992). African-Americans in Boston: More than 350 Years. Trustees of the Boston Public Library. p. 129. ISBN   0-89073-083-0.
  6. ↑ Kirk, Rev. J. Allen (1898). "A Statement of Facts Concerning the Bloody Riot in Wilmington, N.C." University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Library.
  7. ↑ Joyce Moore Turner with W. Burghardt Turner, Caribbean Crusaders and the Harlem Renaissance. Urbana, IL: University of Illinois Press, 2005; pg. 113.
  8. ↑ Smith, Jessie Carney (1996). Notable Black American Women. VNR AG. pp. 152–155. ISBN   9780810391772.
  9. ↑ Baldwin, Lewis V. (2010). The Voice of Conscience: The Church in the Mind of Martin Luther King, Jr . Oxford University Press. pp.  42-44. ISBN   9780195380316.
  10. ↑ Craig, David J. "Roxbury minister Michael E. Haynes to deliver Baccalaureate sermon". B.U. Bridge.
  11. ↑ Gordon–Conwell Theological Seminary
  12. ↑ "Pastoral History". Twelfth Baptist Church, Boston.

Further reading

Coordinates: 42°19′31.2″N71°4′58.4″W / 42.325333°N 71.082889°W / 42.325333; -71.082889

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.