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108 South Stokes Street, First Baptist Church, c. 1912

This church began as a Sunday School in April 1887, meeting at City Hall (then on North Union Avenue) with nine attendees. Later the Sunday School met on the second floor of Levy’s Store (then at 328 St. John Street), under the leadership of Professor Robert W. Eubank, as a fulfillment of his wife’s dying wish and with the encouragement of his daughter Lula. The professor was also the principal of the Havre de Grace High School but transferred to Baltimore in 1892.
Rev. W.D. Quattlebaum, a graduate of Richmond College and Crozer Seminary of Chester, Pennsylvania, was the first minister in 1907 and built on the work of Professor Eubank. He held services at the City Park (now Tydings Park) and at the Willou Theatre (now 323 St. John Street). Interest grew over time and the congregation was constituted as a church in 1909, the first Baptist church in Harford or Cecil Counties. In 1911, The Baptist Board of Church Extension through its president, Eugene Levering, purchased the property of the late John W. Carver (1828-1904) and his wife, Catherine Carver (1832-1908), at the corner of Stokes Street and Congress Avenue for $3,750 and announced a plan to erect a Baptist Church there at a cost of $15,000. The present church building was constructed from Port Deposit granite with the cornerstone laid on October 13, 1912. The building was completed and dedicated in 1913.
The stained glass window in the rear of the white-walled sanctuary was a gift from Lulu K. Eubank, in memory of her parents, Major Robert W. Eubank (b. 1834) and Julia Eubank, pioneers of the Baptist work in Havre de Grace. Set high on the wall at the sanctuary entrance is the stained glass plaque with the words, “First Sunday School begun April 3, 1887.”
A large educational building including a library and media room was created in the 1950s and in the early 2000s they were connected with another building containing an office and elevator. The Church has been served by Pastor Ron Smith since 1998.
County Records
Built 1912. 16,104 sq ft, exempt commercial, 25,440 sq ft lot.
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