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A short drive southwest of Orange is Monticello, at 931 Thomas Jefferson Parkway, Charlottesville, the home of President Thomas Jefferson – principal author of the Declaration of Independence. His tombstone inscription says: Here was buried Thomas Jefferson, author of the Declaration of American Independence, of the Statute of Virginia for Religious Freedom, and father of the University of Virginia. copyrighted and Read more...
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Nearby is Montpelier, home of the two-term, fourth President, James Madison – Father of the Constitution and Architect of the Bill of Rights. It was here that Dolley Madison earned the epithet “America’s first, ‘First Lady’.” Montpelier is at 11350 Constitution Highway, Montpelier Station. copyrighted and used by permission from David Beale, Baptist History in England and America: Personalities, Positions, and Read more...
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On Washington Avenue, stands the Thomas Jefferson Religious Freedom Monument, made from stones sent from churches across the country. It commemorates Jefferson’s Virginia Religious Freedom Statute, promising that “no man shall… suffer on account of his religious opinions or belief.” The Statute became the basis for the religion clause of the First Amendment. copyrighted and used by permission from David Beale, Baptist History Read more...
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Berryville (formerly Buckmarsh) Baptist Church is at 114 Academy Street. John Gerrard (Garrard, ca. 1720-87), in 1772, constituted the Buckmarsh church. James Ireland (ca. 1745-1806) served the Buckmarsh pastorate from 1786 until his death. Ireland’s remains lie in an unknown grave in the Buckmarsh cemetery. A historical plaque marks the site where Buckmarsh Baptist once stood. The plaque is only Read more...
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Pennepack Baptist Church, founded by Elias Keach, in 1688, is the oldest surviving Baptist church in the Middle Colonies. In 1805, at the peak of the Second Great Awakening, during the ministry of Samuel Jones, the congregation erected its present (third) building, constructed from fieldstone collected from the surrounding meadows. Straight-backed box pews occupy the main floor. An elegant, high Read more...
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The Welsh Tract Baptist Church, on Welsh Tract Road, originated in 1701, when sixteen people formed the original congregation in Wales. In 1703, they settled on a thousand acre tract of land, granted by William Penn and since known as the Welsh Tract. As the first Baptist church in Delaware and situated a couple of miles south of Newark, they Read more...
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John Gano (1727-1804) was the first full-time pastor of First Baptist in the City of New York (est. 1762). During the War of Independence, Gano served as chaplain to George Washington. In 1891, during the ministry of I.M. Haldeman (1845-1933), the church erected its present building at 265 West 79th Street at Broadway. (See Chapter 16). copyrighted and used by permission Read more...
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Hopewell Baptist Church is on West Broad Street. One of its most notable pastors was Oliver Hart (1723-95). Gravestones in the church cemetery include those of Isaac Eaton and John Hart, signer of the Declaration of Independence. Hart was not a member here, but he donated the land on which the building stands. Revolutionary War veterans lie buried here. The Read more...
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Hopewell Academy (est. 1756), a Latin grammar school, founded by Isaac Eaton, pastor at Hopewell Baptist, was the earliest Baptist academy in America. The building is now a private home, but a historical plaque stands near the street. The academy’s alumni included James Manning, founder of Brown University. Other alumni included the “Baptist Whitefield,” Hezekiah Smith, who was a classmate with Read more...
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Obadiah Holmes was born in England and came to Massachusetts Bay. After adopting credobaptism (baptism by belief) as opposed to the Puritan pedobaptism (infants), he was evicted from Rehoboth, MA and joined John Clarke at his Baptist Church in Newport, Rhode Island. On Sunday, July 20, 1651, Clarke, Holmes, and a John Crandall held a small Baptist service in the Read more...
