Collection: Green Street Baptist Church records

The historic records of Green Street Baptist Church were donated to the University of Louisville Archives & Records Center in 1980 and were microfilmed later that year. They consist of six volumes of minutes and a few letters and photographs stored between pages and occupy 2.25 linear feet. They document monthly business meetings from 1844 to 1964, describing policy changes, new members, and disciplinary methods employed by one of Kentucky's oldest black churches.

Dates

1844-1999
Majority of material found within circa 1844-1964

Creator

Green Street Baptist Church (Louisville, Ky.) (Creator, Organization)

Conditions Governing Access

Open to researchers.

Conditions Governing Use

Extent

2.25 linear feet (6 flat boxes and one half-manuscript boxes; 2 reels of microfilm)

Additional Description

Organizational history

Green Street Baptist Church, one of Kentucky's oldest African American churches, was founded in 1844 by George Wells as an offshoot of the First Baptist Church. The church originally bore the name Second African Church and then Second Colored Church. The present name was adopted around 1860. The collection contains minutes documenting membership, policy changes, disciplinary methods, letters, newspaper clippings, and photographs. Minutes of the building committee from 1924 to 1929, the choir's minutes, ledger, and attendance from 1935 to 1938 are present, along with later documentation such as a sesquicentennial celebration book and calendar, 1844 to 1994, and programs noting other anniversaries. The history of Green Street Baptist is outlined in a six-page unpublished historical sketch, "The Building of a Sanctuary," by Raoul Cunningham.

Founded as Second African Baptist Church, it was known for a time as Second Colored Baptist Church, and took the name Green Street Baptist Church around 1860. Pastors have been George Wells, 1844-1850; Richard Sneathen, 1852-1872; Daniel A. Gaddie, 1872-1911; H. Wise Jones, 1912-1950; and J. V. Bottoms, 1950 to the present. The congregation moved to its present location, 519 E. Gray Street in the Phoenix Hill area, in 1930.