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_______ 8~----- Page 2 St. John Baptist Church, Jefferson County, AL
VIII. Significance
St. John Baptist Church is eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places under Criterion A and the related
themes of Social History and Ethnic Identity as a locally significant property associated with the Alabama Christian Movement
for Human Rights and the Civil Rights Movement in Birmingham from 1956 to 1963 .
The congregation initially built the first St. John Baptist Church at th is urban lot in Powderly in 1910. The original building has
been encapsulated into the present church, which dates largely to 1966, when the congregation chose to rebuild and expand
the .church in a Colonial Revival style.
St. John Baptist has a long history of involvement in the Civil Rights Movement. Rev. Joseph C. Crosby and Rev. Ambus Hill
were both active Alabama Christian Movement for Human Rights leaders. The church also hosted ACMHR mass meetings.
On July 10, 1961, ACMHR members gathered to hear Rev . Shuttlesworth, Rev. Calvin Woods, Rev. Ed Gardner, W . E.
Shortridge and Fred Fry II of Philadelphia. Rev. Shuttlesworth spoke of his defense of white activist Carl Braden, the need
for demonstrations, and other matters. On November 6, 1961, those at the meeting again heard from Rev. Shuttlesworth,
Mr. Fry, and Rev. J. S. Phifer, with much discussion of the closing of the city parks and other public desegregation issues.
The church did not host mass meetings during Project C in 1963, but its ministers and members were active demonstrators .
The activism of the congregation led to new members and the need for larger facilities . Under the leadership o Rev. J. S.
McMurray, the congregation undertook a major campaign in 1965-66 to enlarge the church building and to present an
updated, stylish fac;ade to the community, making a physical statement of the new confidence breathed into the city's AfricanAmerican
community by the success of the Civil Rights Movement.
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| Title | StJohnBap001 1 |
| Transcript | _______ 8~----- Page 2 St. John Baptist Church, Jefferson County, AL VIII. Significance St. John Baptist Church is eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places under Criterion A and the related themes of Social History and Ethnic Identity as a locally significant property associated with the Alabama Christian Movement for Human Rights and the Civil Rights Movement in Birmingham from 1956 to 1963 . The congregation initially built the first St. John Baptist Church at th is urban lot in Powderly in 1910. The original building has been encapsulated into the present church, which dates largely to 1966, when the congregation chose to rebuild and expand the .church in a Colonial Revival style. St. John Baptist has a long history of involvement in the Civil Rights Movement. Rev. Joseph C. Crosby and Rev. Ambus Hill were both active Alabama Christian Movement for Human Rights leaders. The church also hosted ACMHR mass meetings. On July 10, 1961, ACMHR members gathered to hear Rev . Shuttlesworth, Rev. Calvin Woods, Rev. Ed Gardner, W . E. Shortridge and Fred Fry II of Philadelphia. Rev. Shuttlesworth spoke of his defense of white activist Carl Braden, the need for demonstrations, and other matters. On November 6, 1961, those at the meeting again heard from Rev. Shuttlesworth, Mr. Fry, and Rev. J. S. Phifer, with much discussion of the closing of the city parks and other public desegregation issues. The church did not host mass meetings during Project C in 1963, but its ministers and members were active demonstrators . The activism of the congregation led to new members and the need for larger facilities . Under the leadership o Rev. J. S. McMurray, the congregation undertook a major campaign in 1965-66 to enlarge the church building and to present an updated, stylish fac;ade to the community, making a physical statement of the new confidence breathed into the city's AfricanAmerican community by the success of the Civil Rights Movement. |
