Webster Groves' historic Black churches grew over more than a century through new congregations, renamed fellowships, and rebuilt sanctuaries. In 1866, the year after the Civil War ended, 19 African American residents organized First Baptist Church of Webster Groves, bought land from William Porter in May, opened their first building in November with Kenneth Langford as pastor, and established a school in the church basement. In 1884, Rev. J.B. Bunch started the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Mission Church in a wooden storefront at Gore and Moody near the train station; Bishop G.L. Blackwell later led the congregation, which in 1889 voted to take the name Blackwell Chapel A.M.E. Zion and in 1916 built its present stone building on North Elm Avenue. In 1911, after Rev. B.F. Abbot held a tent revival in an open field, the congregation that became Unity United Methodist completed its first structure at its present location as the Webster Groves Methodist Episcopal Church with Rev. C.C. Kitchen as pastor; the present building was constructed in 1979, and after a 1989 merger with a Richmond Heights congregation the church took the name Unity Church. Parks Chapel began in 1915 as Union Mission Church under Rev. Theodore Morrison, purchased the old A.M.E. Zion church on Shady Ave. around 1919, took the name Parks Chapel, later moved twice more, and built its present building in 1969. Before 1917, the Sanctified Church of God in Christ was already known in North Webster for stirring gospel music; during World War I families further organized the church, held services in Latolee Simms's side yard with Louis Metcalf as first pastor, built a frame church on Thornton in 1928, and nearly fifty years later remodeled it in brick as Gospel Temple. Nazarene Baptist began meeting in February 1924 as the third Baptist church built in North Webster, was founded by Reverend S.T. Tyler, retains the visible cornerstone of its small stucco church, and has long been known for an outstanding gospel choir. In 1927, First Baptist moved to a new location, but some members remained in the old building so that for years there were two First Baptist churches; under Reverend William Catlin, the group in the old building adopted the name Old Community Baptist Church in 1945, and five church buildings have stood on the present foundation.