About this property
First African Baptist Church is a Baptist church located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. It is affiliated with the National Baptist Convention, USA. It was built in 1907 from a congregation established in 1866, and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1988. Organized November 1866, with 144 members. The Rev. Prince Murrell, first pastor, served until 1885. A church building located at corner of 4th Street and 24th Avenue was purchased and became place of worship during pastorate of the Rev. James Mason, 1885-1891. Resolution passed in this church 1873 resulted in establishment of Selma University, Selma, Alabama. Present structure erected 1907 under leadership of the Rev. J. H. Smith. Church annex completed and adjoining property purchased during pastorate of the Rev. W. B. Shealey, 1952-1957. Education building and new parsonage constructed during term of the Rev. T. Y. Rogers, Jr., 1963-1971. The Church was the site of a civil rights incident on Tuesday, June 9, 1964, during which peaceful protestors were beaten, arrested, and tear-gassed by Tuscaloosa police officers and a mob of white citizens. The protestors gathered at the church and attempted to march to the Tuscaloosa County courthouse a few blocks away. Sparking their protest was the long-standing Jim Crow laws that resulted in segregated drinking fountains and restrooms at the Courthouse. They did not get very far before the police and the white mob attacked them. Thirty-three African-American men, women, and children were hospitalized. The police brutality led the incident to be labelled "Bloody Tuesday". It occurred over a year before the "Bloody Sunday" events during the Selma to Montgomery marches, but did not receive as much media coverage as the later conflict. Media related to First African Baptist Church (Tuscaloosa, Alabama) at Wikimedia Commons
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Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).
Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
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Questions about this property
When was First African Baptist Church listed on the National Register?
First African Baptist Church was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on September 27, 1988.
What type of historic resource is First African Baptist Church?
First African Baptist Church is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.
What is the period of significance for First African Baptist Church?
The period of significance for First African Baptist Church is recorded as the civil_war era, specifically around 1866.
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