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Our Coast :: Tours :: Savannah
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November, 19, 2008
07:06 PM | |
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 Online Virtual Tour of Savannah
Franklin Square: First African Baptist Church
Oldest African-American church in North America; building constructed by slave hands. First pastor here was George Leile, whose ministry began in 1775 and who was freed from slavery in 1777. First African Baptist and First Bryan Baptist both grew from this early congregation. George Leile baptized slave Andrew Bryan, who became second pastor at First African baptist. Third pastor, Andrew Marshall, a slave for 50 of his 100 years, was in the pulpit here for 44 years. These men are pictured in stained glass windows. The marks of slavery can still be seen in the building, which was built by slave hands when their day's work was done. In the floor downstairs are breathing holes, said to be used by slaves fleeing to freedom via a secret tunnel from the church to the Savannah River; on pews in the balcony, enslaved artisans scratched in their African signatures - silent mementoes of souls in chains. Montgomery Street on Franklin Square.
--Visitor's Guide to Savannah
| Franklin Square
1. New City Market
309 West St. Julian Street. Formerly seed and feed warehouses, now a bustling beehive of restaurants, shops, and artists' studios.
2. First African Baptist Church
(1859) Montgomery Street on Franklin Square. Oldest African-American church in North America; building constructed by slave hands. |
Map | Next Stop: Johnson Square
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