First Baptist Church of Black Springs
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.
We're still piecing it together, but the story of the First Baptist Church appears to have begun in 1952, when three individuals sought support to establish a church and recreational center at Black Springs to service the African American soldiers stationed at nearby Stead Air Force Base. The three--Fleeter Turner, her partner Charles Settles, and J.S. (Joe) DuPree--appear to have been the first African Americans to purchase property from J.E. Sweatt, who sold them a parcel in September of 1952 for the exclusive purpose of building a church and minister's living quarters.
The church appears to have been constructed on this site of salvaged building materials, and by the following year, the All People's Holy Church of Christ was offering services with Reverend J.S. DuPree serving as pastor. In 1955, the church was reorganized and became the First Baptist Church of Black Springs. The church was and has remained a center of community life for the neighborhood.
Through the years the building has undergone a series of renovations. A portion of it burned in the early 1950s and the damaged part at the north end was rebuilt and the church re-sided. Around 2009, it was extensively rejuvenated and remodeled inside and out. The siding was covered in stucco and the roof was covered in new composition shingles.
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