What whispers from the very stones of First Baptist Church Watson? It stands as a testament to faith. It also exemplifies a complicated relationship between religion and American history.
First Baptist Church Watson began in 1802. It emerged shortly after Washington D.C. became the nation’s capital. For early American Baptists religious freedom was vital. But this freedom didn’t fully extend to enslaved persons and free Black people.
Let’s step back to July 5 1801. A group of Baptists gathered in the Treasury Building. They attended a preaching service by Rev. Lewis Richards of Baltimore. Then eight months later First Baptist Church Watson was organized. Six founding members established it on March 7 1802. They first met in a private home. Later that year they built a meeting house. It stood on the corner of Nineteenth and I Streets N.W.
In May 1807 Rev. Obadiah Bruen Brown became the church’s first full-time pastor. Previously he had preached in Salem New Jersey. Brown served First Baptist from 1807 until his retirement in 1850. He also worked for the U.S. Post Office. He became chief clerk to Postmaster Generals William T. Barry and Amos Kendall. Brown also served as chaplain of the House of Representatives and the Senate.
Around 1822 Brown directed the Bank of the Metropolis. He helped establish Columbian College now George Washington University. President James Monroe and Secretary of State John Quincy Adams donated to the building fund. Brown was the first President of the college’s Board of Trustees.
Brown’s social connections made him influential. But it is unclear how he leveraged those connections for enslaved and free Black members. By 1818 Brown joined the American Colonization Society ACS. This group aimed to send free African Americans to Africa.
Brown’s attitudes toward slavery are complex. He enslaved at least six individuals. In 1830 he enslaved four people. This included a mother and daughter purchased from James Roche. The bill of sale mentioned Simon Bell husband to Sally and father of Kitty. It also mentioned General John P. Van Ness Simon’s enslaver. Brown’s purchase may have been to reunite the family.
Enslaved persons formed a large part of First Baptist’s membership. The church records noted their race status and slave owner. Some slave owners were also members of First Baptist. On May 9 1819 an enslaved woman named Susan joined. She was identified as a “Servant of President Monroe”. Monroe supported Brown.
Free Black people also comprised a sizeable portion of First Baptist’s membership. Mary and Lynch Wormley joined First Baptist. Their son James founded the famous Wormley Hotel. Paul Jennings joined First Baptist as a free Black man. He was enslaved by Dolley Madison. He was initially denied membership. But he was later accepted on December 8 1848.
Black people found a religious home at First Baptist. In 1803 Rhoday Hampton became the first African American to join. By 1810 African Americans made up about thirty percent of total membership. Both enslaved persons and free Black people were full voting members. First Baptist encouraged literacy. It established a Sabbath School in 1819.
Despite this inclusion First Baptist still reflected racial prejudices. Services featured separate seating for African Americans. They were excluded from leadership roles. In 1834 a new church building opened on Tenth Street. This led to two separate congregations. The Nineteenth Street church became exclusively African American.
On August 29 1839 the First Colored Baptist Church of Washington was established. Now it is called Nineteenth Street Baptist Church. By 1852 only forty-four African Americans were members of First Baptist.
The history shows the precarious position of African Americans. First Baptist offered a semi-integrated religious community. It also provided an essential social network. Remaining at First Baptist meant continued segregation. But separating was a risky endeavor.
First Baptist Church Watson reminds us of the complexities of faith. It reflects race and freedom in early America. It stands as a place where history and spirituality intertwine.