First Baptist Church c.1860/1868

About First Baptist Church c.1860/1868

The congregation began building this structure in 1860. During the Civil War, construction was halted because the church lost its savings in worthless Confederate bonds. As a result, the building was not completed until 1868.

It features a free-standing Romanesque tower with doors leading to the gallery, formerly intended for slaves. Rounded arches appear over the interior windows, over the doors leading the Baptistry, and in the hand-carved beams of the high-open ceilings.