First Baptist Church is a historic Baptist church in

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. Established in 1780, the church is located on the corner of

Monument Avenue Monument Avenue is a tree-lined grassy mall dividing the eastbound and westbound traffic in Richmond, Virginia, originally named for its emblematic complex of structures honoring those who fought for the Confederacy during the American Civil Wa ...

and Arthur Ashe Boulevard. the senior minister is the Rev. Dr. Jim Somerville, former pastor of the First Baptist Church of Washington, D.C. Its historic building at 12th and East Broad streets is the home of

Virginia Commonwealth University Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) is a Public university, public research university in Richmond, Virginia, United States. VCU was founded in 1838 as the medical department of Hampden–Sydney College, becoming the Medical College of Virgin ...

's Hunton Student Center.

History

The First Baptist Church was originally organized in June 1780 by 14 members under the leadership of its first pastor Joshua Morris as the Richmond Baptist Church. It was the first church to be organized in Richmond, and in a Virginia city. In the beginning the congregation worshiped and met in the private home of Mr. Franklin located at Carrington St. and Pink St. on Union Hill. They also met in the home of Mrs. Martha Miller near 18th St. and Venable St. Their first church building (meeting house) was a one story frame structure constructed on the north side of Cary St., between 2nd St and 3rd St. It was constructed sometime after 1780 and before 1798. Currently that location contains both buildings without basements and parking lots. Attached to the old Baptist Church grounds on Cary St. was a burying ground ('' old Baptist Church Burying Ground''), primarily for the interment of Negroes. It was also said to have been the burial place of

Gabriel In the Abrahamic religions (Judaism, Christianity, Islam), Gabriel ( ) is an archangel with the power to announce God's will to mankind, as the messenger of God. He is mentioned in the Hebrew Bible, the New Testament and the Quran. Many Chris ...

and some of his followers who were executed in 1800, just a couple of blocks away on Gallows Hill for a planned slave rebellion. In 1802 a new church building was constructed at E Broad St. at College St. The church moved from that location in 1841 to E Broad St. at 12th St. Their new building was designed by architect Thomas U. Walter. It is a stuccoed temple-form

Greek Revival Greek Revival architecture is a architectural style, style that began in the middle of the 18th century but which particularly flourished in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, predominantly in northern Europe, the United States, and Canada, ...

style building with the two fluted

Doric order The Doric order is one of the three orders of ancient Greek and later Roman architecture; the other two canonical orders were the Ionic and the Corinthian. The Doric is most easily recognized by the simple circular capitals at the top of t ...

columns of its

portico A portico is a porch leading to the entrance of a building, or extended as a colonnade, with a roof structure over a walkway, supported by columns or enclosed by walls. This idea was widely used in ancient Greece and has influenced many cu ...

in antis. During the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

the church building served as an emergency hospital for

Confederate Army The Confederate States Army (CSA), also called the Confederate army or the Southern army, was the military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) during the American Civil War (1861–1865), fi ...

soldiers. In 1938, the congregation sold the church to the

Medical College of Virginia The VCU Medical Center (VCU Health), formerly known as the Medical College of Virginia (MCV), is the medical campus of Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU), located in downtown Richmond, Virginia, United States. As MCV, VCU Medical Center merged ...

. an
''Accompanying photo''
/ref> The original First Baptist Church had a mixed congregation. In 1840 there were 373 White members and 1,700 Black members. In 1841, the Black and White congregation separated racially. The White members moved into their new church building at E Broad St at 12th St. The Black members remained in the old building, and were allowed to form the First African Baptist Church. The First African Baptist Church purchased the existing church building at E Broad St. at 14th St. (now College St.). This building was torn down in 1876 and replaced with the one that stands in that location today.

Pastors (1780-2025)

* Rev. Joshua Morris was the first pastor (1780-1786). * Rev. John Courtney was the 2nd pastor (1788-1824). **Co-pastors John Bryce (1810-1822), Andrew Broaddus (1822-....) Henry Keeling (1822-1825) * Rev. John Kerr (1825-1833). * Rev. Isaac Taylor Hinton (1833-1835). * Rev. Jeremiah B. Jeter (1836-1849). * Basil Manly Jr. was the pastor from 1850 to 1854. * Rev. John Lansing Burrows, D. D. (1854-1874) * Rev. Ebenezer W Warren (1876-1879) * Rev. James B. Hawthorne (1879-1884) * Rev. George Cooper (1885-1903) * Rev. George W. McDaniel (1905-1927) * Rev. Charles W. Daniel (1928-1934) * Rev. Theodore F. Adams (1936-1968) * Rev. Luther Joe Thompson (1968-1982) * Rev. Peter James Flamming (1983-2006) * Rev. James Green Somerville (2008-present)

Modern use

The

acquired the building at E Broad St. at 12th St. in 1938, and it became the institution's first

student center A student center (or student centre) is a type of building found on university and some high school campuses. In the United States, such a building may also be called a student union, student commons, or union. The term "student union" refers mos ...

. In 1989, the building, then part of

, was named Hunton Hall for Eppa Hunton Jr. and

Eppa Hunton IV Eppa Hunton IV (July 31, 1904 – November 23, 1976) was an American lawyer. A native of Richmond, Virginia, he graduated from the University of Virginia and its law school before returning to his hometown, where, excepting his overseas milit ...

. It was renovated from 2005 to 2007.

References

External links

* {{National Register of Historic Places in Virginia Greek Revival church buildings in Virginia Churches completed in 1839 19th-century Baptist churches in the United States Baptist churches in Virginia 18th-century Baptist churches in the United States Churches on the National Register of Historic Places in Virginia Churches in Richmond, Virginia Religious organizations established in 1780 National Register of Historic Places in Richmond, Virginia Southern Baptist Convention churches

History

Pastors (1780-2025)

Modern use

References

Further reading

External links