| Gillfield Baptist Church | |
|---|---|
&sq=Envato&lang=en&file=File:Gillfield_Baptist_Church.jpg) Gillfield Baptist Church, Petersburg | |
 | |
| 37°13′25″N 77°24′28″W / 37.2235°N 77.4077°W | |
| Location | 209 Perry Street, Petersburg, Virginia |
| Country | United States |
| Denomination | Baptist |
| Website | www.gillfieldbaptistchurchpetersburg.org/ |
| Architecture | |
| Heritage designation | Virginia |
| Completed | 1797 |
Gillfield Baptist Church is the second-oldest black Baptist congregation in Petersburg, Virginia and one of the oldest in the nation. It has the oldest handwritten record book of any black church.[1] It was organized in 1797 as a separate, integrated congregation. In 1818 it built its first church at its current lot on Perry Street.
In 1957 its ninth pastor the Rev. Wyatt Tee Walker (1953–1959), co-founded the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, led the congregation in the Civil Rights Movement in Petersburg. It continues to serve the community today.
- ^ Henry Chase, "Proud, free and black: Petersburg – visiting the Virginia location of the largest number of 19th century free slaves", American Visions, Jun–Jul 1994, accessed 27 Dec 2008