First Baptist Church, historic church at 727 Scotland Road in Williamsburg, Virginia
The First Baptist Church is a two-story brick building with Colonial Revival architecture completed in 1956 in Williamsburg. The structure was designed by architect Bernard Spigel and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2017.
The congregation was founded in 1781 when free and enslaved Africans gathered to form the Baptist community, led by Gowan Pamphlet, an enslaved man. After the Civil War, it became central to community life and the push for education and civil rights.
The church originated from a gathering of free and enslaved Africans who met in the 1770s and formally established the Baptist congregation in 1781. It remains a place where the story of African American community life is visible and where people gather to honor their heritage and faith.
The building is visible from the public street, though it is not always open to visitors. Your visit is best planned during worship services or special community events held throughout the year.
A bell cast in 1886 as the so-called freedom bell witnessed nearly two centuries of history. This bell was rung by President Barack Obama in 2016 at the dedication of the National Museum of African American History and Culture.
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