First Baptist Church

O-74

First Baptist Church, the earliest African American Baptist congregation in Northumberland County, originated in 1866 when black members of Coan Baptist Church began holding worship services at the home of Alexander Day. They later worshiped at Howland Chapel School, built just northeast of here in 1867 with funding from New York-born educator, reformer, and philanthropist Emily Howland. Revivals were held under a nearby brush arbor. Led by the Rev. Daniel Payne, pastor for more than 30 years, the congregation erected its first sanctuary here in 1892. The present Gothic Revival-style sanctuary was completed in 1941 under the guidance of longtime pastor Rev. Henry C. Roane.

Department of Historic Resources, 2016

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References/Bibliographic Citation:

Thomas A. Wolf, ed., Historic Sites in Virginia’s Northern Neck and Essex County: A Guide (2011), 129-130. “Historical Statement,” First Baptist Church (26 Oct. 2011). “125th Anniversary of the First Baptist Church” (1991) Howland Chapel School, National Register nomination (1991). Coan Baptist Church, National Register nomination (1995). “The History of First Baptist Church,” The Commemorative Ceremony for Reverend Paymus Nutt (2016). Cherry Baylor, “Emancipation, Land, and Education: Emily Howland Discovers Northumberland County during Reconstruction,” Bulletin of the Northumberland County Historical Society (2011), 79-92. Rappahannock Record, 7 Aug. 1941. Guide to the Emily Howland Papers, 1797-1938, Cornell University Library. Harry V. Richardson, Dark Glory: A Picture of the Church among Negroes in the Rural South (1947)