The Beginnings of
Ninth Street Baptist
Church
By Emma Jeanne
Oglesby and Katie Marshall
1869 – 1985
Greetings and Salutations:
As
past recorders of Ninth
Street Baptist Church, I
was asked to compile the
history, which I have
tried to do. Our
records were lost in the
1937 flood and we are
unable to give you exact
details of our beginnings.
Nevertheless, let us look
into our origin as told to
me by Sister Katie
Marshall, a member of
First Baptist Church of
Covington. She was
one of our pioneer
citizens who had the
distinction of being a
public school teacher.
Mr.
C. E. Jones, founder of
Jones and Simpson Funeral
Home, honored her as being
his first schoolteacher in
the years during slavery.
This is what she said:
In the year 1865, there
was only one Negro Baptist
Church in the city of
Covington and all who were
of the Baptist faith
worshipped there together.
It was called the ”Big
Baptist.”
The only
other church for Negroes
was a Methodist Church and
it was called “Big Ninth.”
After awhile the
membership grew to where
there were more members
than space.
It was
then that some felt a
larger place was needed to
accommodate the people.
They held services the
homes of whoever would
open their doors.
The exact location is not
known, but in November
1869, they met with the
Reverend. H. Haggard and
they were organized into a
body and it was named
“Little Mission.”
With Rev. Haggard, they
found a place on Main
Street near Fourth Street.
Rev. Haggard remained with
them seven years and
taught them principles of
the Baptist Faith and then
he was called to another
Church. In 1876,
Reverend Davis came on the
scene and served them
while they were at the Old
Market House Hall on
Seventh Street near
Madison Avenue. Rev
Davis left and they were
again without a pastor for
a short time.
Then
Reverend Jacob Price was
called as pastor in 1886.
He was a very well
informed minister and gave
them much to help them to
know more about our
doctrine. Rev. Price
was called to another
church, and left in 1890.
Reverend J. F. Drane was
called to the pastorate in
1890 while they were
worshipping in the Murray
Hotel on Harvey Street.
Rev. Drane was not
satisfied with that
location and it was under
his leadership that they
were able to acquire the
property on East Ninth
Street.
It was a
small frame building,
which formerly housed the
Saint James African
Methodist Church. By
that time, they had been
under the leadership of
four pastors, had
worshipped in many
locations, and had grown
from a poorly organized
group, to a well-organized
church with a desire to do
great things for the
Master. Rev. Drane
was called to another
church and they were again
without a leader.
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