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.