Biographical Record and Portrait Album of Tippecanoe County, Indiana,
1888
page 276
Second Baptist Church (Colored)
This congregation was organized February 2, 1872. Meetings
were held in the basement of the First Baptist Church until 1878, when
they moved into their present church on the northeast corner of Hartford
and Sixteenth streets. Hon. JOHN LEVERING, a member of the First
Baptist Church, donated the lot and 20,000 brick for the church. Cost
of the building, about $1,000; total valuation of church property,
$2,500. The first pastor was Rev. WILLIAM NEILL, and the first officers
JACKSON ANTHONY and JORDAN SCOTT. Number of members at time of
organization, ten; there are now sixty. MR. SCOTT is still the deacon,
and other officers are JOHN McFIELDS, GEORGE SHAW, ROLAND JONES, CHARLES
AUSTIN, JOHN CHEEKS and GEORGE WHEELER. WILLIAM H. LEVERING is the
superintendent of the Sunday school, which comprises thirty-five
scholars.
Rev. JOHN MILLER, now at Crawfordsville, this State, was
pastor 1875-'84, since which time Rev. BENJAMIN SMITH, from Richmond,
Indiana, has been the minister in charge, preaching twice a month. The
church and Sunday school are growing.