Shiloh Baptist Church (Washington, D.C.)
Encyclopedia
Shiloh Baptist Church is located at 1500 9th Street N.W., Washington, D.C.
20001. The church was founded in Fredericksburg, VA
in 1804. Shiloh Baptist Church is located in the historic Shaw District.
The Union Army protected and helped the slaves and free blacks escape to Washington D.C. About 400 members of the Shiloh Baptist Church of Fredricksburg arrived in Washington D.C. Once they were in Washington D.C., they became free civilians because in April 1862 Congress emancipated the slaves of the District of Columbia.
Sunday School directed by J. McCleary Perkins, a white Union soldier, met in shanty on L St NW between 16th and 17th Streets. White and black teachers gave instruction on religion and basic reading and writing.
1863
January 1 - Emancipation Proclamation.
September – Shiloh Baptist Church granted recognition by council. Rev. William Walker elected first pastor.
1864
Membership purchased building on L St NW between 16th and 17th.
1869
Membership numbered 243. Purchased larger building with Fredericksburg funds.
Shiloh moves to 9th and P Streets. L Street property sold for $60,000. 9th and P and adjacent property purchased in November 1924.
1945
First black church to unite with the Council of Church Women.
1950
Carter Woodson, a church neighbor, was a guest speaker for Negro History Week (an annual participation until his death).
1991
A fire nearly destroyed the entire church building.
Barack Obama
and his family attended Shiloh Baptist for Easter Sunday services, the first Presidential visit to the congregation.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
20001. The church was founded in Fredericksburg, VA
Fredericksburg, Virginia
Fredericksburg is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia located south of Washington, D.C., and north of Richmond. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 24,286...
in 1804. Shiloh Baptist Church is located in the historic Shaw District.
Shaw, Washington, D.C.
Shaw is a neighborhood located in the Northwest quadrant of Washington, D.C. It is roughly bounded by M Street, NW or Massachusetts Avenue NW to the south; New Jersey Avenue, NW to the east; Florida Avenue, NW to the north; and 11th Street, NW to the west...
Origins in Fredericksburg VA
The Shiloh Baptist Church was organized by its white members in 1804. The church's membership included some free blacks but most were slaves. The black members were subjected to segregated seating. The church was sold to African American members in 1854, and this congregation was led by a white pastor.Civil War
At the start of the Civil War in 1861, Shiloh had about 750 members. The Civil War disrupted the church's life but also brought the possibility of equality for blacks. The Shiloh religious services were discontinued when the Union Army wanted to change the church into a hospital because of a planned attack on Fredricksburg in June 1862.The Union Army protected and helped the slaves and free blacks escape to Washington D.C. About 400 members of the Shiloh Baptist Church of Fredricksburg arrived in Washington D.C. Once they were in Washington D.C., they became free civilians because in April 1862 Congress emancipated the slaves of the District of Columbia.
Move to Washington DC
1862Sunday School directed by J. McCleary Perkins, a white Union soldier, met in shanty on L St NW between 16th and 17th Streets. White and black teachers gave instruction on religion and basic reading and writing.
1863
January 1 - Emancipation Proclamation.
September – Shiloh Baptist Church granted recognition by council. Rev. William Walker elected first pastor.
1864
Membership purchased building on L St NW between 16th and 17th.
1869
Membership numbered 243. Purchased larger building with Fredericksburg funds.
Growth of the Church at Current Location
1924Shiloh moves to 9th and P Streets. L Street property sold for $60,000. 9th and P and adjacent property purchased in November 1924.
1945
First black church to unite with the Council of Church Women.
1950
Carter Woodson, a church neighbor, was a guest speaker for Negro History Week (an annual participation until his death).
1991
A fire nearly destroyed the entire church building.
Presidential visit
On April 24, 2011, PresidentPresident of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
and his family attended Shiloh Baptist for Easter Sunday services, the first Presidential visit to the congregation.