Filed Under Religion

Mt. Hope Baptist Church

This site is part of the Black Springs tour, a partnership with Our Story, Inc. Visit the Tours page for the tour introduction and complete list of sites.

The Mt. Hope Baptist Church was founded in July of 1959 and was the second church to be built in the community of Black Springs. Residents say that the building was moved here that year from another location and adapted for this use. Started by A.N. Conley, the church has been an important center of religious and community life for the neighborhood’s residents for generations.

The Nevada Equal Rights Commission met here at least once, in 1965, with Rev. Clyde Matthews, J.E. Sweatt, Rev. Eddie Hill, UNR History professor James Hulse, NAACP members, and many others in attendance.

Much of the church burned in March of 1971, when a fire began on the west side and spread to the roof and attic, but it was rebuilt. Reverend John Chatman Jr. served as the pastor in the mid-1970s.

Images

Mt. Hope Baptist Church<br />
Mt. Hope Baptist Church
The Mt. Hope Baptist Church in 1991. Source: Special Collections, University of Nevada, Reno Libraries Date: 1991
Nevada Equal Rights Commission meeting, 1965
Nevada Equal Rights Commission meeting, 1965 A meeting of the Nevada Equal Rights Commission was held at the church in October of 1965. Source: Special Collections, University of Nevada, Reno Libraries Date: 1965
Nevada Commission on Equal Rights meeting
Nevada Commission on Equal Rights meeting Members of the Nevada Commission on Equal Rights met at Mt. Hope Baptist Church in 1965. Pictured are Eddie Scott of the NAACP, Sheriff Allen, Reverend Hill of Black Springs, J.E. Sweatt (who laid out the original tract at Black Springs), and UNR History professor Dr. James Hulse. Source: Special Collections, University of Nevada, Reno Libraries

Location

115 Kennedy Drive, Reno, NV

Metadata

Alicia Barber, “Mt. Hope Baptist Church,” Reno Historical, accessed November 6, 2024, https://renohistorical.org/items/show/215.