Evening star., 1901-12-20
CENTENNIAL ANNIVERSARY
CELEBRATION NNDnR AUSPICES OF
FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH
Parent Organfxations of the DenOmina-
tion Formed when City Was
in Ias Infancy.

On the 7th daysef March next the con-
gregation of the First baptist Church will
celebrate the centennial of the parent
church of the dennmination In the District.
The congregation shas ALREADY commenced
preparations for the proper observance of
such an epoch in its history, which finds
1t located In one Of. the finest church edifces
in the District, and with a membership of
| hundreds. where once there were but half
dozen, and enjoying degree of pros
perity in every department of church work
which fills with gratitude the hearts Of
those who are conversant with the many
| trials and vicissitudes of the church in the
| past.
1t was when the city was in its infancy
that the few Inhabitants Of the Baptist
persuasion scattered over the fields and COM
mons which were to become the nations
capital organized the First Church. This
| took place In a private house the 7th day
| of Charles p. Polk, Cephas Fox, Charles
| Rogers, John Buchan, Joseph and Elizabeth
| BOrrows. Ii.
The little assembly at once took measures
| toward the erection of meeting house,
and the most promising field for useful
ness unoccupied by church organization
In which the English language was used
was the section west of the Presidents
1
southwest corner Of 10Th and I streets, was
selected and purchased, August 1S, of John
Iempleman for $225. Here was erected a
| brick church, thirty-two by forty-two feet.
which was exceedingly plain in style, and
| before the following December it was
| opened for service The membership in
| creased to twenty-three in the first four
| years, and the building for thirty years
was the home of the congregation. Next
the imposing Tenth Street Church, which
became Fords Theater and subsequently
tne Medical Museum, was occupied from
1888 to 1857; then the property of the
| Fourth Church on the site of the Builders
| Exchange on 18th street between G and H
| streets became the First Church by the
| union OF the two congregations. The last
| move was to the present location at 18th
| and o streets in 1883.
List of the Pastors.
During the first five years Of the organi-
cation the congregation at 10Th and 1
| streets had the services Of Rev. Mr.. Par
| klnson, chaplain of Congress. and Rev.
| Mr.. Wood. In 1907 Rev. Obadiah Brown
D. D., accepted the pastorate, in which he
| spent forty-three years of his life and until
| the infirmities of age forced his retirement.
This was in 1850. In that year ReX. DR..
Stephen P. Hill became the pastor serving
after the union with the Fourth Church
as joint pastor with Rev. I. H. Cole. In
1850 Rev.~G. w. Samson, D. D., became
| the pastor and served three years. Rev.
| A. D. Gillette was the next pastor He
served five years, and Rev. DR.. j. H.
Cuthbert succeeded him, serving seventeen
years. Rev. c. A. Stakely, D. D., was the
next pastor, and served until few years
ago, since which time the pulpit has been
| hlled by acting pastors. Rev: A. D. Pollard
| occupying the position at this time.
The congregation has had it's seasons of
prosperity and adversely, but it's members
| declare there has never been time when
| 1t had not an influence in the community
and the church at large.
| The membership at the 10Th street
| church increased under the pastorate of
| DR.. Brown, and he had large congrega-
tions. At the time of removal to 10th
on the books. This however is not a fair
criterion Of the work of the church, for
numbers had been brought into church re-
lations who enrolled themselves elsewhere.
At 10th street the church more than
held its own, gaining 30 per cent in MEM
bership and having good congregations In
1910 this editice was badly damaged by
fire, and in restoring the building the in
debtedness was increased
III financial way the church was not
prosperous, and the pastor accepted a
clerical position in the Post Office Depart
ment, becoming chief clerk. Before twenty
years had been passed here it became ap-
parent that, however desirable the location
had been for church purposes, there were
then other more suitable localities and be-
sides, the organization of the Shiloh (OId
Side Church and the E street church had
drawn away some of the members. Thus it
was that when the proposition was made
to sell the 10th street property the men,
bership, with practical unanimity unfte ed
with the Fourth Church. The property Of
the latter. was then beyond the business
center. In a little time there was a sea-
son of prosperity, but in 1862. by reason Of
the wreckage Of the church in storm the
invitation of the New York Avenue Presby-
terian Church the members occupied tenn
porary home there while their edifce was
Being restored. The repairs were barely
completed when the government took Dos
session Of the building for hospital pur-
poses. When, however, services were re-
sumed in the 18th street building it seemed
that an era Of prosperity set in, and from
this period there has been no backward
step.
Became Preachers.
There have been a number Of revivals in
the congregation, and among those brought
into the organization were a number who
became useful ministers. Among these may
be mentioned Stephen H. Cone an actor
who became pastor Of church in Alexan-
dria in 1915; Oliver c. Comstock of New
York, in 1918; Joseph H Jones, W. Sedwick
r. w. Cushman, Luther Rice James D.
Knowles. Baron Stow. George F. Adams
John Pratt, Joseph T. Robert, r. B. c.
Howell. Stephen Chaplin and H. w. Dodge
That the example of the parents has been
followed by their children is seen in the
fact that many descendants of the old
members are active members of the church
today, in not a few cases entire families
keeping up the relation. At 10Th street
were, among others Isaac Clark, Enoch
Reynolds, Joseph Thaw Greenbury Gather.
Daniel Brown, the McCutchens and
Charles Polkinhorn, the first pastor of Shi-
loh Old School Church, besides the found
ers named above; at 10th street. William
Q Force. Robert Johnson, assistant post
master general; w. V. H Brown, DR.. ].
w. Clarke and George Kendall (brother of
Amos; at 18th street site were Robert
c. Fox, John T. Given. DR.. E. NJ Cha
pin. l.. S. Fristoe, o. T. Mason. Robert Nc
Murray, T. s. Hopkins, j. G. Judd, Dr.