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The History of Shiloh Baptist Church (New Site) In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord: Ephesians 2:21 |
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The Nineteenth Century Prior to 1854 Shiloh Baptist Church, located at Hanover and Sophia Streets, had two congregations worshipping together: the White Baptists and the Colored Baptists. Members of the Colored Baptist church occupied the galleries of the White church; free Blacks worshipped in the end gallery and the enslaved Blacks in the side gallery. In 1854, the white members moved to a new location on the corner of Princess Anne and Amelia Streets (Fredericksburg Baptist Church) and later sold their former site on Sophia Street to the colored members in 1857 for $500.00. The Black congregation named its worship site, African Baptist Church. According to law, at that time, Blacks were not allowed to congregate without a white person present. Consequently, Rev. George Rowe, a white minister, served as the first pastor from 1856–1863. At the onset of the Civil War, worship services were suspended because the church was used by the Union forces as a hospital and it also suffered severe structural damage. When the Emancipation Proclamation was issued, the African Baptist Church of Fredericksburg became an independent organization. Rev. George L. Dixon came to Fredericksburg from Washington, DC and began holding meetings and services from house to house leading to the successful reorganization of the church. In 1865 Rev. Dixon and several members began repairing the war-damaged church. Services soon resumed and the African Baptist Church was renamed Shiloh Baptist with Rev. Dixon serving as the first Black pastor. Rev. Lemuel G. Waldon, succeeded Rev. Dixon and served from 1878-1881. Under his pastorate on May 10, 1882, six deacons of Shiloh Baptist Church, Washington Wright, Simon E. Bascey, Cornelius S. Lucas, James Gorden, James Williams, and Edmond Sprow, Jr., purchased several acres of land that became the site of the Shiloh Colored Cemetery of Fredericksburg. See Cemetery for more information. Rev. Willis Robinson became the pastor of Shiloh in the summer of 1881. He was a man of great spiritual wisdom and a source of great strength and encouragement. His leadership guided the congregation through the first difficult years of struggle to rebuild the church. Rev. Robinson launched a series of rallies to raise money to renovate the church. After raising $1,500, he wanted to start repairing the building, but the deacons were not willing to start the work until all the money was on hand. The renovation delay came back to haunt the congregation. In June 1886, the rear wall fell rendering Shiloh useless and unsafe. City authorities granted the membership permission to worship in the courthouse. In this same year, a church committee was formed to locate a site suitable for the church. This committee selected a site known as the Revere Shop, located on the corners of Princess Anne and Wolfe Streets. The membership agreed upon the site and unanimously voted to purchase the property. Shiloh immediately moved to this site and began having regular services there with the Sunday School meeting in the lower level of the shop. The spiritual and physical foundation of this branch of Zion was worked upon diligently and earnestly by several members: Frederick D. Bowes, Sheppard Brown, Moses Bryant On June 9, 1890, a cornerstone was laid and the construction of the new church building Shiloh Baptist Church (New Site) was begun. The congregation played a very active role in the actual construction of the church. Many of the men were skilled in various areas of construction. The women also played an important role by cleaning bricks. Through God's grace, the congregation persevered and the church was built in a short period of time. With construction issues no longer a main focus, the next area of concern was improvement of the spiritual welfare of the church. Records indicate that Rev. Robinson was asked to preach every Sunday in the month, lecture on Wednesday nights and remain in the city during the week. However, Rev. Robinson had commitments to Blue Run Church when he preached one Sunday a month. He did not honor the request made by New Site. |
The Twentieth Century Since the original church building was constructed, there have been two additions. In the early 1960s, the rear of the church was expanded with the addition of several rooms. In the late 1970s, the church purchased the property formally known as the McGuire Hotel on which to build an annex. With the addition of the annex, the direction of the sanctuary was changed and the baptismal pool was relocated from the lower auditorium to the main sanctuary. A cornerstone was laid in 1980 acknowledging the church annex. In the mid 1980s under the leadership of Rev. Cunningham, the completion of the church's lower annex and the renovation of the lower auditorium were completed. In the early 1990s, the focus was placed on the renovation of the original building's exterior: painting, repair of the gutters, pointing-up of bricks, landscaping and construction of a brick marquis. With substantial growth in membership, two of the three mortgages were paid in full. In 1995, Shiloh (New site) became the first African American site to be included on the Candlelight Tour of Historic Fredericksburg Foundation, Inc. Over 4,000 people visited our sanctuary and were introduced to our rich heritage. One of the many features of the Candlelight tour included the viewing of our magnificent stained glass windows. These windows depict biblical symbols and scenes as well as a New Site member. In 1996, the Shiloh Cemetery because the first cemetery to be included on the tour. A portion of the proceeds were awarded to our church in the form of a Brick and Mortar Grant. The funds were used towards the reconstruction of the original bell tower which was completed in 1997. Looking toward future growth, a Five Year Plan was implemented in 1994. The parsonage (named the M.L. Murchison Christian Center in 1971) was reconverted for use as a meeting and office space on the first and second floors in 1995. Many projects of the Five Year Plan were completed in just three years, to include, the burning of the mortgage, on November 13, 1998. Shiloh Baptist Church (New Site) has been led by men of great distinction; men with innovative ideas, understanding hearts and minds, and an undying love for God, the church and its people. These religious men have met many challenges and touched many souls for the cause of Christ. They are: 1888–1904 Rev. Willis M. Robinson ****(NOTE) From September 1986 to April 1988 Shiloh's ministerial needs were met by the Sons of the Church, the Rev. Lowell Brandon, Rev. Nathaniel Young, and Rev. Theodore Cunningham, Sr. and a host of visiting clergy. Information for this document was obtained through court records, church minutes and several published books, such as:
Click the following links for more church history. Black Migration |