In the aftermath of Emancipation and the Civil War, African American churches were integral to the formation of strong communities across the American South. During the Jim Crow era, African American ministers and church members led social and civic organizations that championed race progress while challenging injustice and segregation. Founded in 1865, Zion Baptist Church moved to this site at 801 Washington Street in 1871. As one of the largest African American congregations in Columbia, Zion became a meeting place for organizations such as the NAACP and the Negro Citizens Committee, which was once led by Zion's pastor, the Reverend J. P. Reeder, and church leader A. P. Williams, Jr. During the 1960s, Zion Baptist Church was a cornerstone of Columbia's civil rights movement and a safe haven for student activists who participated in downtown demonstrations.
