African American
Church History
The institution of the church has played an important role in the lives of African Americans. To help document this aspect of African American life in the Central Virginia area, materials from or about several area churches are represented in the holdings of Special Collections and Archives, James Branch Cabell Library. Also listed below are books and other sources of information about African American church life which are housed in Special Collections and Archives. An online exhibit highlighting one of Virginia's most historic churches, Sixth Mount Zion Baptist Church of Richmond, is also available from this site.
Manuscript Collections:
Bank Street Memorial Baptist Church, Norfolk, Virginia Collection, 1883-1990 -- The Bank Street Memorial Baptist Church (formerly the African Baptist Meeting House and later the Bell Church) traces its roots back to a white Baptist church established in Norfolk early in the 19th century. The collection was digitized (the original materials returned to the church) and includes church minutes, photographs, newspaper clippings, and other church records spanning the years 1883 through 1990. The collection is available on CD-ROM in Special Collections and Archives. Please email Special Collections and Archives to make arrangements to view materials on CD-ROM.
Fourth Baptist Church, Richmond, Virginia Minutes Collection, 1880-1958 -- As with a number of African American churches, the Fourth Baptist Church congregation began before 1861 [in 1857] as a regular assembly of slaves for prayer. It was formally organized in 1865. The congregation eventually settled in Richmond's Church Hill neighborhood where it continues to meet in a building first constructed in 1885. The collection of church minutes include material about the financial operation of the church (including various lists of back debts, dues collected, pledge sheets and numerous reports); membership requests; baptism names and dates; notices of deaths or those ill; election of deacons and appointments of ministers and other church officials; lists of dismissals for various church offenses (from fornication and lying to "Sabbath breaking" and dancing); and information about various church renovations. The collection is available on CD-ROM in Special Collections and Archives. Please email Special Collections and Archives to make arrangements to view materials on CD-ROM.
Gillfield Baptist Church Petersburg, Virginia Minutes Collection, 1815-1827, 1868-1871, 1888-1897-- Gillfield Baptist Church, Petersburg, Virginia, established in 1797, is the second oldest African-American congregation in Petersburg and one of the oldest in the country -- The collection of church minutes presented here include material about the financial operation of the church, numerous reports, membership lists; baptism names and dates; notices of deaths or those ill; election of deacons and appointments of ministers and other church officials; lists of dismissals for church offenses. The minutes of Gillfield Baptist Church, Petersburg, Virginia were borrowed from the church and digitally scanned in the early 1990s. The collection can be accessed from the link above. The collection is available on CD-ROM in Special Collections and Archives. Please email Special Collections and Archives to make arrangements to view materials on CD-ROM.
Sixth Mount Zion Baptist Church Collection, M 57-- Sixth Mount Zion Baptist Church of Richmond, Virginia, located in Richmond's Jackson Ward neighborhood, was organized on September 3, 1867 by the renowned Reverend John Jasper and ten close associates. The collection consists of an assortment of historical documents, programs, photographs, brochures and clippings concerning the church, its pastors and Jackson Ward. The collection is housed in Special Collections and Archives. The collection is available on CD-ROM in Special Collections and Archives. Please email Special Collections and Archives to make arrangements to view materials on CD-ROM.
Books:
Special Collections and Archives also houses a growing collection of books and other reference materials concerning African American life in Virginia and the South. From this collection of publications include the following books about Virginia African American churches:
Bethlehem Baptist Church: Established 1861, Cumberland, Virginia: One Hundred and Thirty-Seventh Anniversary, Sunday, October 11, 1998. Cumberland, Va.: The Church, 1998. Call Number: BX6480.C9 B4 1998
Brief History of Gillfield Baptist Church, Petersburg, Virginia: Commemorating its One Hundred Fortieth Anniversary, 1797-1937. Luther P. Jackson, complied by F.H. Norris, Church Clerk, Gillfield Baptist Church, Petersburg, 1937.
De Sun Do Move: The Celebrated Sermon by John J. Jasper. Reprinted from the book John J. Jasper, by William E. Hatcher. Richmond. Dietz Press. Call Number: BX6452 .J3
Fourth Baptist Church, Richmond, Virginia, 1859-1986., Richmond, Va.: The Church, 1986, Call Number: BX6480.R52 F68 1986.
First Baptist Church, South Richmond, Richmond, Va.: A Comprehensive History of First Baptist Church, South Richmond, 1821-1993. This is a two volume history. Call Number: BX6480.R52 F62 1993.
John Jasper, The Unmatched Negro Philosopher and Preacher. William E. Hatcher, LL. D. New York, Chicago, F. H. Revell Company, 1908. Call Number: E185.97 .J36
A Historical Chronology, 1821-1992: Preview of the Comprehensive History of First Baptist Church, South Richmond. First Baptist Church, South Richmond. Richmond, Va.: The Church, 1992. Call Number: BX6480.R52 F619 1992
Mine Eyes Have Seen the Glory: Faith, Struggle and Growth in Richmond Since 1619. E. Hatcher Crenshaw, Harry Davis, and Jr., Edwin Slipek, Jr. Richmond, Va.: Jefferson Pub., 1987. Call Number: F234.R59 N425 1987
Negro Baptist Churches in Richmond: Prepared by the Historical Records Survey of Virginia, Division of Professional and Service Projects, Work Projects Administration. Richmond, Va.: Historical Records Survey of Virginia, 1940. Call Number: CD3560.H48 B35
A Special Pilgrimage: A History of Black Catholics in Richmond. Nessa Theresa Baskerville Johnson. Richmond: Diocese of Richmond, 1978. Call Number: BX1407.N4 J63