Ebenezer Baptist Church (Richmond, Virginia)

Ebenezer Baptist Church, formerly known as the Third African Baptist Church, is a prominent Black church built in 1858 and located in the Jackson Ward neighborhood of Richmond, Virginia.[1][2] The site location has a historical marker (marker SA-96).[3] It is one part of the Jackson Ward Historic District, a National Register of Historic Places-listing since July 30, 1976.[4]

Ebenezer Baptist Church
37.550875°N 77.441911°W / 37.550875; -77.441911
Address216 West Leigh Street,
Jackson Ward, Richmond, Virginia, U.S.
WebsiteOfficial website
History
Former name(s)Third African Baptist Church
Founded1858
Clergy
Pastor(s)Rev. Adam L. Bond

History

The Ebenezer Baptist Church was built in 1858 by a congregation of some 400 people; it was an offshoot of the First African Baptist Church, which experienced issues of overcrowding.[1][5][6] It was originally named the Third African Baptist Church, but after one year the name was changed to Ebenezer Baptist Church. In 1866, Ebenezer opened the first public school for African-American children in the city of Richmond.[5] In 1883, Hartshorn Memorial College started in the basement of Ebenezer, where it existed for one year.[5] In the early 20th-century a remodel with alternations was done to the building by architect Charles Thaddeus Russell, which included the addition of a cupola with four spires.[1]

In 1865, Rev. Peter Randolph was the first African American to serve as pastor of Ebenezer Baptist Church.[7] Rev. Richard Wells was the pastor starting in 1870 and served for 24 years, under his leadership church membership reached 1,500 parishioners.[8][9] Wells also served as the president of the Virginia Baptist State Convention.[8][9] Since 2020, Rev. Adam L. Bond is the pastor.[10]

In 2022, Ebenezer hosted the Reconnect Jackson Ward project, a public discussion and plan to reconnect the neighborhood of Jackson Ward (in an attempt of undoing the history of building Interstate 95 and redlining on the community).[11]

Notable people
  • Ruth B. Blair, the first African-American female police officer in Richmond[5]
  • Lois Harrison-Jones, the first African-American female superintendent of schools in Richmond[5]

See also

References
  1. "Ebenezer Baptist Church". Encyclopedia Virginia. Retrieved 2023-03-11.
  2. "Reconnect Jackson Ward aims to make residents whole again". VPM NPR. 2022-10-14. Retrieved 2023-03-12.
  3. "Ebenezer Baptist Church". hmdb.org. Retrieved 2023-03-11.
  4. "Jackson Ward Historic District". National Register of Historic Places, U.S. Department of the Interior.
  5. "Ebenezer marks its 160th". Richmond Free Press. May 26, 2017. Retrieved 2023-03-12.
  6. Matthews, Dr Kimberly A. (2023-01-30). Richmond's First African Baptist Church. Arcadia Publishing. p. 46. ISBN 978-1-4396-7700-1.
  7. Payne, Charles M.; Green, Adam (August 2003). Time Longer Than Rope: A Century of African American Activism, 1850-1950. NYU Press. p. 105. ISBN 978-0-8147-6702-3.
  8. Corey, Charles Henry (1895). A History of the Richmond Theological Seminary: With Reminiscences of Thirty Years' Work Among the Colored People of the South. J. W. Randolph Company.
  9. Cathcart, William (1883). The Baptist Encyclopaedia: A Dictionary of the Doctrines, Ordinances ... of the General History of the Baptist Denomination in All Lands, with Numerous Biographical Sketches...& a Supplement. L. H. Everts. p. 1345.
  10. "Dr. Adam L. Bond, Ebenezer Baptist Church's new pastor, eases into transition during pandemic". Richmond Free Press. October 1, 2020. Retrieved 2023-03-12.
  11. Harrison, Don (2022-06-06). "A Bridge to Somewhere". Richmond Magazine. Retrieved 2023-03-12.
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