First Baptist Church, Williamsburg

Established in 1776, the First Baptist Church of Williamsburg emerged from the courageous efforts of a group of slaves and free blacks who sought the freedom to worship according to their beliefs. Led initially by Rev. Moses, a free black itinerant preacher, worship gatherings were held secretly in a brush arbor at Green Spring Plantation, where believers could come together for prayer and song away from the constraints of the time.

Under the leadership of Rev. Gowan Pamphlet, an enslaved man in Williamsburg, the congregation transitioned to formal organization as Baptists by 1781. Initially meeting at Raccoon Chase, the church continued to grow and evolve, eventually finding a meeting place in a carriage house on Nassau Street, generously offered by a member of the Cole family, prominent landowners in Williamsburg. Known as the African Baptist Church before the Civil War, the congregation took steps towards institutional permanence with the dedication of a new brick church near the Nassau Street location in 1856.

Following the Civil War and the abolition of slavery, the church underwent further transformations, culminating in its renaming as the First Baptist Church of Williamsburg in 1863. The church's commitment to spiritual and social progress continued into the 20th century, as evidenced by the construction of its present location at 727 Scotland Street in 1956.