Freed slaves raised the First African Baptist Church at 601 New Street in Beaufort, South Carolina, after the Civil War. This building was raised by freed slaves after the American Civil War, and a historical marker here describes its Carpenter Gothic construction. Think of the hands that worked these boards and the congregation that gathered here — among them Robert Smalls was a member, and Rev. Arthur Waddell was one of its organizers.
The congregation did more than worship: the church ran a school, carrying out lessons and instruction for the community. As you listen, picture services and the schoolrooms that once met here, an expression of faith and education begun by freed people rebuilding their lives. Because it sits within the Beaufort Historic District, this church belongs to the larger story of the town’s postwar community.
The marker's reference to Carpenter Gothic points to its architectural character, and the address, 601 New Street, anchors it on map and memory. Picture Robert Smalls among the congregation Rev. Arthur Waddell helped organize, in a church that once doubled as a schoolhouse for the community.