Georgia Historical Society Logo
  • News
  • Events
  • Search
  • About
        • Mission
        • Board of Curators
        • Office of the President
          • Past Presidents
        • Staff
        • Jobs/Internships
        • Preferred Vendors
        • History
          • GHS Research Center
          • Jepson House Education Center
        • Annual Reports
        • GHS Awards and Honors
        • News/Media
        • Contact
  • Research
    • Search Our Collection
    • Plan Your Visit
    • Reference and Research Services
    • Image Reproduction Services
    • Research Resources
    • Collection Highlights
  • Teachers + Students
        • Resources for Teachers
          • Search All Education Resources
          • Teaching with Primary Resources
          • Biographical Resources
          • Economic History Resources
          • Eighth-Grade WebQuest
          • Women's History Resources
          • Online Exhibits
          • Field Trips and In-School Programs
          • Professional Development
        • Resources for Students
        • Today in Georgia History
        • Off the Deaton Path
        • Georgia Historical Society Education Newsletter
  • Learn + Explore
        • Programs and Initiatives
        • Community Archives Initiative
        • Georgia Commemorates America at 250
        • Georgia History Festival
        • Georgia Trustees
        • Trustees Gala
        • History and Race Initiative
        • Georgia's Business History
        • Affiliate Chapter Program
        • Online Exhibits
        • Upcoming Events
        • Historical Markers
          • Explore Georgia Historical Markers
          • Applying for a New Historical Marker
          • Maintaining Historical Markers
          • FAQs
          • Report a Missing or Damaged Marker
          • Civil War Historical Marker Initiative
          • Georgia Civil Rights Trail
        • Vincent J. Dooley Distinguished Fellows Program
          • Distinguished Teaching Fellows
          • Distinguished Research Fellows
        • Publications
          • Georgia History Today
          • Georgia Historical Quarterly
          • Bell and Inscoe Awards
  • Support
    • Give
    • Become a Member
    • Endowment
    • Donate Collections/Papers
    • Our Supporters
    • Shop

First African Baptist Church

November 6, 2024 by

Hidden Histories, Historical Marker Resource

First African Baptist Church

24. First African Baptist Church, Savannah, Georgia, Postcard, Savannah Municipal Archives on behalf of V. & J. Duncan Antique Maps & Prints, n.d.

This Hidden History was created by SCAD student Esteban Millán Pinzón as part of his SCAD art history department coursework, with guidance from art history professor Holly Goldstein, Ph.D., in 2019.

The First African Baptist Church historical marker was dedicated in 2017. View the First African Baptist Church historical marker listing.

Gallery

Illustrations Expand

Figure 1: The First African Baptist Church Historical Marker, Esteban Millan Pinzon, 2019.

Figure 2: Colton's Atlas of the World Illustrating Physical and Political Geography, Colton, G. W., Vol 1, New York, 1855 (First Edition)

Figure 3: George Leile Portrait, Southern Baptist Historical Library and Archives, Raboteau, Albert J., 2004. Slave Religion: The “Invisible Institution” in the Antebellum South. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Figure 4: Big Buckhead Baptist Church, 1845, Jenkins County, Brian Brown, 2013

Figure 5: Silver Bluff Baptist Church, History of the Negro Church by Carter G. Woodson, 2004.  http://www.thearda.com/timeline/events/event_12.asp.

Figure 6: Brampton Plantation, John McKinnon, 1825. Wheeler, Frank. Savannah River Plantations: Photographs from the Collection of the Georgia Historical Society. Charleston: Arcadia Publishing, 1998, p. 88.

Figure 7: Brampton Plantation, John McKinnon, 1825. Wheeler, Frank. Savannah River Plantations: Photographs from the Collection of the Georgia Historical Society. Charleston: Arcadia Publishing, 1998, p. 88.

Figure 8: Brampton Plantation looking towards the Savannah River, John McKinnon, 1998. Wheeler, Frank. Savannah River Plantations: Photographs from the Collection of the Georgia Historical Society. Charleston: Arcadia Publishing, 1998, p. 85.

Figure 9: Andrew Bryan, 1825. Elmore, Charles. Savannah Georgia. Charleston: Arcadia Publishing, 2004, p. 34.

Figure 10: The First African Baptist Church, Savannah, GA.Front View, from Franklin Square, History of The First African Baptist Church, 1888, https://docsouth.unc.edu/church/love/love.html

Figure 11: The First African Baptist Church, Savannah, GA.
Side View, from Franklin Square, History of The First African Baptist Church, 1888, https://docsouth.unc.edu/church/love/love.html

Figure 12: First African Baptist Church, Frances Benjamin Johnston, between 1926 and 1944. https://0-library.artstor.org.library.scad.edu/#/asset/ALIBCONGRESSIG_10313214307

Figure 13: Rippon, John. Baptist Annual Register for 1790-1802 including sketches of the state of religion among different denominations of good men at home and abroad. London: Gale Ecco, Print Editions, 1814, p. 334. https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=nyp.33433069134140;view=1up;seq=9

Figure 14: George Liele, Life and Legacy, Collaborative Collage with 5th Grade student, Esteban Millan, 2019.

Figure 15: George Liele. Life and Legacy, Creative Component, Original Illustration, Esteban Millan, 2019.

Figure 16: George Liele. Life and Legacy, Creative Component, Original Illustration, Esteban Millan, 2019.

Figure 17: Mass Meeting, Sunday May 1, 1960, Law Photograph Collection, City of Savannah, Research Library, Municipal Archives, 1960.

Figure 18: First African Baptist Church, Savannah, Esteban Millan, 2019.

Figure 19: Stained-Glass Window. Portrait of Andrew Bryan, The Image of the Black in Western Art Research Project and Photo Archive, W.E.B. Du Bois Institute for African and African American Research, Harvard University, 1973.

Figure 20: Marcus Garvey with Prince Kojo Tovalou-Houenou of Dahomey, called the “Garvey of Africa,” and George O. Marke, 1924, George Grantham Bain Collection, Library of Congress.

Figure 21: Marcus Garvey, August 5, 1924, George Grantham Bain Collection, Library of Congress.

Figure 22: First African Baptist Church founded in 1773 in Savannah, Georgia, Richard Ellis, 2010.

Figure 23: First African Baptist Church, Nelson, Louis, University of Virginia, 2008.

Figure 24: First African Baptist Church, Savannah, Georgia, Postcard, Savannah Municipal Archives on behalf of V. & J. Duncan Antique Maps & Prints, n.d.

Figure 25: The Times-enterprise semi-weekly edition. (Thomasville, Ga.) 1, February 20, 1920, Miss Mildred Ruthford –Where Georgia Comes First.

Figure 26: Rippon, John. Baptist Annual Register for 1790-1802 including sketches of the state of religion among different denominations of good men at home and abroad. London: Gale Ecco, Print Editions, 1814.

Artist's Statement Expand

I did this research motivated by knowing that small actions can lead to the creation of great and important things for humanity. I have thought that these actions work as a domino effect, where a single event taken place in a specific time and space is fundamental to achieving social changes in the short or long term. In my research, this catalyzing event happened for Liele when he was baptized and thus given the opportunity to begin to preach in Georgia in 1773. I want to represent this idea of a sparking event with an original artwork illustration that represents our potential legacy as something that we cannot see but just needs time to grow. (Figures 14, 15, 16)

Further Reading Expand

Georgia History Society. “First African Baptist Church.” Accessed May 1, 2019. https://georgiahistory.com/ghmi_marker_updated/first-african-baptist-church/

Love, Emanuel. History of the First African Baptist Church, From its Organization, January 20th, 1788, to July 1st, 1888.  Including the Centennial Celebration, Addresses, Sermons, Etc. Savannah, GA: The Morning News Print, 1888. https://docsouth.unc.edu/church/love/love.html

Morrison, Doreen. Slavery's Heroes: George Liele and the Ethiopian Baptists of Jamaica 1783 -1865.  Liele Books, 2015.

Rippon, John. Baptist Annual Register for 1790-1802 including sketches of the state of religion among different denominations of good men at home and abroad. London: Gale ECCO, Print Editions, 1814. https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=nyp.33433069134140;view=1up;seq=9

Stephen R. Palumbi, and Peter Ralph. “George Liele: Negro Slavery’s Prophet of Deliverance,” Baptist Quarterly 20, no. 8 (1964): 340–351. https://biblicalstudies.org.uk/pdf/bq/20-8_340.pdf

Woodson, Carter. The History of the Negro Church. Washington, DC: The Associated Publishers, 1921. https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=emu.010002408871;view=1up;seq=5

georgia history footer logo
Facebook Twitter Instagram Youtube LinkedIn
Charity Navigator

The Georgia Historical Society has been awarded its twelfth consecutive 4-Star Rating from Charity Navigator, the largest charity evaluator in America, for sound fiscal management and commitment to accountability and transparency, a distinction that places The Society among an elite 1% of non-profit organizations in America.

2023 Annual Report
Privacy Policy
Financial Statements
Accessibility Statement

Give
Contact us
Staff
Board of Curators
About us
Shop

Newsletter

Want to keep up with the latest news from The Georgia Historical Society? Sign up to receive our newsletter!

Jepson House Education Center*

104 W. Gaston Street
Savannah, GA 31401

912-651-2125

Open: Monday–Friday
9:00 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.
*BY APPOINTMENT ONLY

Research Center

501 Whitaker Street
Savannah, GA 31401

912-651-2128

Open: Wednesday–Friday
12:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
First and third Saturdays
10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Atlanta office*

One Baltimore Place NW
Suite G300
Atlanta, GA 30308

404-382-5410

Open: Monday–Friday
9:00 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.
*BY APPOINTMENT ONLY

georgia history footer logo
Facebook Twitter Instagram Youtube LinkedIn

Give
Contact us
Staff
Board of Curators
About us

Newsletter

Want to keep up with the latest news from The Georgia Historical Society? Sign up to receive our newsletter!

Jepson House Education Center*

104 W. Gaston Street
Savannah, GA 31401
912-651-2125

Open: Monday–Friday
9:00 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.
*BY APPOINTMENT ONLY

Research Center

501 Whitaker Street
Savannah, GA 31401
912-651-2128

Open: Wednesday–Friday
12:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
First and third Saturdays
10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Atlanta office*

One Baltimore Place NW, Suite G300
Atlanta, GA 30308
404-382-5410

Open: Monday–Friday
9:00 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.
*BY APPOINTMENT ONLY

Charity Navigator

The Georgia Historical Society has been awarded its eleventh consecutive 4-Star Rating from Charity Navigator, the largest charity evaluator in America, for sound fiscal management and commitment to accountability and transparency, a distinction that places The Society among an elite 1% of non-profit organizations in America.

Privacy Policy
Financial Statements

  • About
    • Mission
    • Board of Curators
    • Office of the President
      • Past Presidents
      • Back
    • Staff
    • History
      • GHS Research Center
      • Jepson House Education Center
      • Back
    • Annual Reports
    • GHS Awards and Honors
    • Jobs/Internships
    • Preferred Vendors
    • News/Media
    • Contact
    • Back
  • Research
    • Search Our Collection
    • Plan Your Visit
    • Reference and Research Services
    • Image Reproduction Services
    • Research Resources
    • Collection Highlights
    • Back
  • Teachers + Students
    • Resources for Teachers
      • Search All Education Resources
      • Teaching with Primary Resources
      • Biographical Resources
      • Economic History Resources
      • Eighth-Grade WebQuest
      • Women’s History Resources
      • Online Exhibits
      • Field Trips and In-School Programs
      • Professional Development
      • Back
    • Resources for Students
    • Today in Georgia History
    • Off the Deaton Path
    • Georgia Historical Society Education Newsletter
    • Back
  • Learn + Explore
    • Programs and Initiatives
    • Community Archives Initiative
    • Georgia Commemorates America at 250
    • Historical Markers
      • Explore Georgia Historical Markers
      • Applying for a New Historical Marker
      • Maintaining Historical Markers
      • FAQs
      • Report a Missing or Damaged Marker
      • Civil War Historical Marker Initiative
      • Georgia Civil Rights Trail
      • Back
    • Georgia History Festival
    • Georgia Trustees
    • Trustees Gala
    • Vincent J. Dooley Distinguished Fellows Program
      • Distinguished Teaching Fellows
      • Distinguished Research Fellows
      • Back
    • History and Race Initiative
    • Georgia’s Business History
    • Affiliate Chapter Program
    • Publications
      • Georgia History Today
      • Georgia Historical Quarterly
      • Bell and Inscoe Awards
      • Back
    • Online Exhibits
    • Upcoming Events
    • Back
  • Support
    • Give
    • Become a Member
    • Endowment
    • Donate Collections/Papers
    • Our Supporters
    • Shop
    • Back

Insert/edit link

Enter the destination URL

Or link to existing content

    No search term specified. Showing recent items. Search or use up and down arrow keys to select an item.