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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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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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Berryville Baptist Church—formerly known as Buckmarsh Baptist Church—represents one of the enduring threads of Baptist history in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. Its story reflects both continuity and change, tracing a path from early frontier religion to an established community presence in the town of Berryville. The church’s origins date back to around 1773, when Buckmarsh Baptist Church was organized 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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James Madison (1751–1836) occupies a central place in American history as the “Father of the Constitution” and a principal architect of the Bill of Rights. His careful political thought, commitment to republican government, and skill in compromise helped shape the structure and liberties of the United States. Working alongside figures such as Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton, Madison played a Read more...
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The connection between Thomas Jefferson and the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom represents one of the most important milestones in the development of religious liberty in the United States. Adopted in 1786 by the Virginia General Assembly, the statute disestablished the Church of England in Virginia and established the principle that no person could be compelled to support or attend Read more...
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The First Baptist Church of Charleston is widely recognized as the oldest Baptist church in the American South, with a history that reaches back to the late seventeenth century. Its story is closely tied to the struggle for religious liberty, the spread of Baptist convictions, and the shaping of early church life in the southern colonies. The church traces its Read more...
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The Screven Family Cemetery in Georgetown is one of the oldest and most historically significant burial grounds in the American South. Though modest in size and appearance, it preserves the memory of a family deeply connected to the early religious and civic development of the region, particularly in the rise of Baptist life in the southern colonies. The cemetery dates Read more...
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In the 700 block of Church Street, the remains of Edmund Botsford (1745-1819), early pastor of Antipedo Baptist (later First Baptist) Church, lie buried in the Old Baptist Cemtery. A marker was placed at Botsford’s grave in 2004. Copyrighted and used by permission from David Beale, Baptist History in England and America: Personalities, Positions, and Practices The Cyclopedia of Biblical, Read more...
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Old Kiokee Baptist Church, founded by Daniel Marshall, is the earliest continuing Baptist church in Georgia. They erected their third (present) meetinghouse, in 1808, with its quaint auditorium, gallery, and hand-hewn pews. The congregation uses this building, at 2520 Ray Owens Road, for special services. For access, contact the church (706-541-1086). Inquire about the Marshall home-site and cemetery. Copyrighted and Read more...
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Daniel Marshall (1706–1784) stands as one of the most important pioneer figures in the spread of Baptist Christianity in the American South. A man of humble beginnings but deep conviction, Marshall helped carry the message of evangelical faith into regions where it had scarcely been known, leaving a lasting imprint on the religious life of Georgia and beyond. Daniel Marshall Read more...
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From the marker: This building, Kiokee Church’s sixth meeting house, was erected in 1937 with the help of many Georgia Baptists as a monument to Daniel Marshall. Not later than 1770, he was arrested for preaching in Colonial Georgia at a site east of this marker. At a trial in Augusta before Colonel Edward Barnard and Parson Edward Ellington of Read more...
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Pioneer missionary, John Mason Peck (1789-1858), saturated Missouri and Illinois with the gospel, evangelizing, organizing churches, and establishing the Baptist movement in the West. At Southern Illinois University Dental School, this memorial plaque highlights his life and legacy: On this site in 1831, John Mason Peck (1789-1858), pioneer Baptist preacher, author, and educator, established the school which became Shurtleff Read more...
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Hymn History: He Lives Author: Alfred Henry Ackley “He once said, ‘The thought of His ever-living presence brought the music promptly and easily.’” (Bruce Creswell) The Origin of the Hymn “He Lives” (I Serve a Risen Savior) Few gospel hymns capture the joy and assurance of the resurrection as powerfully as “He Lives”, also known by its opening Read more...
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The Old Rugged Cross is one of the most beloved – and most claimed hymns! Our Christian Heritage has been to the Old Rugged Cross church on Pokagon, MI where it was first performed in its entirety and we’ve interviewed the couple that restored the church. We’ve also been to Sturgeon Bay, WI where the Friends Church is that it Read more...
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George Bennard was born in Youngstown, Ohio, but his parents would move to Iowa. When he was a teenager, he was invited to a Salvation Army meeting at 176 South 1st Avenue, Canton, Illinois, where he knelt at the “mourner’s bench” and accepted Jesus Christ as his Savior. The Canton Salvation Army still has that mourner’s bench on display. After Read more...
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From the website: The Old Rugged Cross Historical Museum is an outgrowth of a memorial cross erected and dedicated on September 14, 1954, north of Reed City, Michigan, near the home of Reverend and Mrs. George Bennard. Reverend Bennard was the author of well-loved hymn “The Old Rugged Cross” written in 1913. The museum presently contains mementos and relics not only Read more...
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John Blair Smith was the second president of Hampden-Sydney College, founded by his older brother. From Banner of Truth: This was certainly true at Hampden-Sydney and the President, John Blair Smith, also a Presbyterian pastor of two nearby, small congregations, Briery and Cub Creek, was deeply grieved. He and the members of his churches began to pray for revival Read more...
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John Blair Smith was a significant figure in the early history of American higher education and Presbyterian leadership, best remembered for his role as the first president of Hampden–Sydney College. His life, though relatively brief, was marked by intellectual ability, religious conviction, and a steady commitment to shaping young men for both ministry and civic responsibility in the formative years Read more...
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The David Brainerd Log House is a modest yet historically significant site associated with David Brainerd, one of the most influential missionary figures of early American history. Located near Easton, the log house stands as a reminder of Brainerd’s labors among Native American communities during the mid-eighteenth century. David Brainerd was born in 1718 in Connecticut and came of age Read more...