Bethel Baptist Institutional Church
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Bethel Baptist Institutional Church
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| Location |
1058 Hogan Street |
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| Coordinates | 30°20′9″N 81°39′30″W / 30.33583°N 81.65833°WCoordinates: 30°20′9″N 81°39′30″W / 30.33583°N 81.65833°W |
| Architectural style | Late 19th And 20th Century Revivals |
| NRHP Reference # | 78000938 |
| Added to NRHP | April 6, 1978 |
1058 Hogan Street
Bethel Baptist Institutional Church is a historic Baptist church in Jacksonville, Florida, in the United States. Founded in 1838, it is the city's oldest Baptist congregation. Its building built in 1904 at 1058 North Hogan Street was added to the National Register of Historic Places on April 6, 1978.
Established under co-pastors James McDonald and Ryan Frier, in 1838, Bethel Baptist is the oldest Baptist congregation in Jacksonville. At its inception it had only six charter members, four whites and two blacks, the latter of whom were slaves of white members. Membership quickly grew, with most early congregants being black slaves who received day passes from their masters to attend. The first meetings were held at "Mother Sam's", a local plantation, and in 1840 a dedicated meeting house was erected at Duval and Newnan Streets. This, the first church building in Jacksonville, was sold to Presbyterians in 1844. In 1861 a permanent church building was built in the west LaVilla neighborhood at Church and Julia Streets.
Bethel Baptist remained an interracial church until after the American Civil War, when the decision was made to segregate the congregation by race. At this time members were facing a split over which pastor to follow, and white congregants took the opportunity to try to force the blacks out of the church. They took their case to court, but the court ruled in favor of the blacks, who were in the majority, determining that they were the rightful owners of the Bethel Baptist name and property. As a result the whites formed Tabernacle Baptist Church, which was eventually renamed First Baptist Church, now one of the largest churches in the United States.
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