First Baptist Church Essay

479 Words2 Pages

If you’re walking down the famous King Street in Charleston, South Carolina, only one street over is Meeting Street. Here is where you may notice an outlying white building surrounded by a black fence, a building that presents an ancient Greek resemblance from the arches and columns that stick out. This building is a historic church, one that runs deep in America’s values, known as The First Baptist Church of Charleston. This is the earliest Baptist Church ever built in the American South, finalized in 1822. The unique design of this church was created by Robert Mills. He was a Charleston Native that graduated from The College of Charleston at only 19 years old. He was mentored by James Hoban, a legend when it comes to American architects, …show more content…

He eventually became a slave owner and his support on the issue derived from both economical and moral values. Robert Furman passed away one year prior to Furman University’s establishment. The University was the first Baptist college in the South and was named in his honor because of his engagement and pursuit of the Baptist community in the South. Furman University being the first Baptist school, clearly obtained views and beliefs based on the Baptist church and there is no other church that held a bigger impact on this idea than The First Baptist Church of Charleston. Richard Furman brought his Baptist ties to the University from the church on not only a level of beliefs, but on physical grounds as well. A lot of the buildings on campus were designed with arches and pillars like the First Baptist Church has, a great example is the James B. Duke library. Both the University and the church are surrounded by a fence which is symbolic in keeping people out that don’t belong in the community and protecting the people inside the fence, by separating them with a physical barrier. The church has much more to do with the development of Furman than credited for, and if you are familiar with Furman University then you should also be informed on The First Baptist Church of