Living Faith

Enslaved Peter "Old Captain" Durrett moved to Lexington with his wife and began holding services in his cabin at Maxwell Spring in 1790. This site once housed the First African Baptist Church, built by the congregation in 1856. The church became the first black congregation west of the Allegheny Mountains and was the third-oldest black congregation in the U.S. For the black community, churches served as larger cultural centers, providing educational, economic, and entertainment opportunities. During the 1960s, churches were meeting places for planning during the civil rights movement. Next to family, churches were the most important institution for Lexington's African Americans, and black solidarity was strengthened through the equality of worship and control over these congregations.

Lexington-Fayette, Kentucky · United States