First Free Baptist Church

1881 Map of Harrisburg, John R. Fender & Co. First Free Baptist Church at center

Situated in what has been known as the Old Eighth Ward, the First Free Baptist Church, situated just behind the old Capitol Building at Fourth and State Streets, was completed in 1865 and was designed by noted Harrisburg architect Luther M. Simon. Simon was a prolific designer of public buildings and churches in the city including the Pine Street Presbyterian Church completed in 1860. Northern Italian Renaissance in architectural style, First Free Baptist Church’s spire became an important late 19th Century landmark on East State Street. The Old Eighth Ward was inhabited by many African Americans as well as Jewish and Eastern European immigrants throughout the 19th Century. It was the site of many residential, commercial and institutional properties including restaurants, hotels, churches and schools. It was a dynamic community and a melting pot of diverse ethnic backgrounds. During the Civil War it was known as an “Underground Railroad” haven for escaped slaves from the South. In particular, the Wesley Union AME Church on Tanners’ Alley in the Old Eighth Ward neighborhood became a landmark in which abolitionist Frederick Douglas spoke in 1857. While the neighborhood played a significant role in the history of the development of Harrisburg, it stood in the way of the inherent growth of State Government though the expansion of the Capitol Complex starting in 1911. All buildings between Walnut and North Streets, including the former First Free Baptist Church and later the Kesher Israel Synagogue were demolished under the grand master plan sparked by the completion of the present Capitol Building in 1906 and the ensuing emergence of Soldiers Grove and the four monumental state office buildings of today. After the First Free Baptist Church’s departure from East State Street, it formed a new congregation in 1909 and built a year later in 1910, the Market Street Baptist Church at 15th and Market Streets on Harrisburg’s Allison Hill. While the original sanctuary was located to the rear of this property a new main sanctuary was built in front in 1932. The original 1910 structure, however, was replaced in the 1950’s with a new wing. The church continued to grow due to the eventual move of members of the First Baptist Church at Second and Pine Streets given the more convenient location for church-goers on Allison Hill.

Banner photo courtesy the Historical Society of Dauphin County.