Bethany Baptist Church (Newark, New Jersey)

Bethany Baptist Church is a historic church at 117 W. Market Street in Newark, Essex County, New Jersey, United States.

Bethany Baptist Church
Bethany Baptist Church (Newark, New Jersey) is located in Essex County, New Jersey
Bethany Baptist Church (Newark, New Jersey)
Bethany Baptist Church (Newark, New Jersey) is located in New Jersey
Bethany Baptist Church (Newark, New Jersey)
Bethany Baptist Church (Newark, New Jersey) is located in the United States
Bethany Baptist Church (Newark, New Jersey)
Location275 W. Market Street, Newark, New Jersey
Coordinates40°44′25″N 74°11′1″W / 40.74028°N 74.18361°W / 40.74028; -74.18361
Area0.2 acres (0.081 ha)
Built1866
Architectural styleRomanesque
NRHP reference No.88000466[1]
NJRHP No.[2]
Added to NRHPMay 10, 1989
Cornel West at the puplit of Bethany Baptist

The church traces its origins to 1870, when a group of African Americans established the church on Broad Street in Newark in the building of the Peddie Memorial Baptist Church. Under the leadership of the Reverend Ebenezer Bird, who had come from Virginia to lead the congregation of about 26 members, the group was officially sanctioned as a church by the Council of Baptist Churches in June 1871. Thus, the church prides itself on being the "first Baptist congregation founded by people of African descent."[3]

The Romanesque style church building was constructed in 1866. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1989.[1]

The church was under the stewardship of M. William Howard, Jr., from 2000 to 2015.[4]

The old building appears to have been replaced by a housing complex,[5] which has been replaced by a new building at 275 W. Market Street. The new building was dedicated on May 2, 1976.[6]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
  2. ^ "New Jersey and National Registers of Historic Places - Essex County" (PDF). New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection - Historic Preservation Office. April 1, 2010. p. 5. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 27, 2009. Retrieved August 21, 2010.
  3. ^ "Our History . . . . ". Bethany Baptist Church. Archived from the original on February 11, 2012. Retrieved June 1, 2012.
  4. ^ "Newark pastor leaves church with legacy of social justice, community outreach". NJ.com. January 2016. Retrieved November 6, 2017.
  5. ^ "Google Maps". Google Maps. Retrieved November 6, 2017.
  6. ^ "History". Bethany Baptist Church. Retrieved April 19, 2016.