Freemason Street Baptist Church

By Kevin Geisert, SMC Reference Librarian. April 2023.

Freemason Street Baptist Church (FSBC) is located at 400 East Freemason Street, which is on the corner of Freemason and Bank Streets in downtown Norfolk, Virginia.  Renowned architect Thomas Ustick Walter, who also designed the dome of the U.S. Capitol and Norfolk City Hall (now MacArthur Memorial), planned the layout of this impressive building. The church’s steeple is a distinctive feature of the downtown area.  At the time of its construction, FSBC was the tallest building in Norfolk with a steeple that seemed to reach for the sky.[1]  This church has served Baptist congregations for over 170 years.  In the past two centuries, a number of esteemed pastors have filled the pulpit.  The structure on Freemason Street was built between the years 1848 and 1850 at a total cost of $35,000.[2]  FSBC remains the oldest active Baptist church in the city of Norfolk.[3]


The origin of FSBC can be traced to the now-defunct Cumberland Street Baptist Church.  When its leadership brought turmoil to the congregation, seventy-six members of the Cumberland Street Baptist Church decided to break away and form a separate church, which became FSBC.  They officially established their new organization at the meeting held on Wednesday, May 24, 1848, and secured Odd Fellows Hall, located just a short distance away, to use as an interim worship space until a church building could be constructed.[4]  The cornerstone for FSBC was laid in August 1850 amid a devout group of spectators.  Nearly two years later, on Thursday, May 30, 1850, Freemason Street Baptist Church was formally dedicated with several Baptist pastors and guests in attendance.  Both featured speakers came from out of town.  Dr. Howell from Richmond opened the service with a prayer, which was followed by the main message delivered by Dr. Fuller from Baltimore.[5]  Cumberland Baptist Church was the city’s first house of worship to include both whites and blacks.  In 1851, just a year after it opened, FSBC also began allowing black worshipers to use its building as well.[6]    


Caption:  (Left) Photo of church's exterior on Feb 1953.   Source: Virginian-Pilot Photograph Collection (MSS 0000-187)

On Christmas Eve 1848, FSBC made its first big decision by hiring Reverend Tiberius Gracchus Jones to serve as its first pastor.  The church agreed to pay Reverend Jones $800 a year.  He served the congregation for most of the next two decades (1848-1864, 1865-1866, 1869-1870).[7]  Jones faced several challenges in the early years of his ministry at FSBC.  Norfolk experienced a couple of major fires, the Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1855, and the Civil War while he served as pastor.[8]  Reverend Jones was a gifted preacher whose sermons had a reputation for being well-written while conveying an important spiritual message.[9]  Initially, the church held two worship services on Sunday and a volunteer choir sang for each gathering.  By late 1850, congregational singing was added to the worship lineup.[10]  Early in the church’s history, there was a pew rental system, which funded the pastor’s salary.[11]  During the Union occupation of Norfolk in 1864, Reverend Jones felt that he could no longer serve the needs of his congregation and resigned.  He left for Baltimore, but returned to FSBC after the Civil War ended to resume his ministry.  From 1866-1869, Jones served as president of Richmond College and then returned to the church in Norfolk once again.  He resigned as pastor at FSBC for the final time in 1870.[12]  During the ministry of his successor, William Dandridge Thomas, the church’s original steeple was knocked from its perch and fell onto Freemason Street.  This occurred during a hurricane in 1879 when strong wind gusts wreaked havoc in the area.  By noon on August 18, the steeple was no longer attached to the church.[13]  The current steeple was placed in its position on top of the church in 1897.[14]        

 

The longest-serving pastor in FSBC history was Dr. Sparks White Melton.  He led the congregation for 44 years from 1908 to 1952.  Prior to his ministry in Norfolk, he had been the pastor at a church in Augusta, Georgia.  Dr. Melton delivered his first sermon on Sunday, December 6, 1908.[15]  More than 700 worshipers came to greet the pastor as he helped usher in a new era at FSBC.  Church members were treated to two sermons on this day.  Dr. Melton’s morning address was entitled, “In Prospect.”  During the homily, he reflected on his time in Georgia and laid out a clear vision for his ministry in Norfolk.  This first Sunday culminated with an evening sermon that was witnessed by a standing-room-only crowd.  The faithful congregation listened intently as Dr. Melton talked in depth about “the Christian Code of Ethics.”  Some of the congregants even declared it the finest sermon in the sixty-year history of Freemason Street Baptist Church.[16]  Throughout his tenure as pastor, Dr. Melton cemented his reputation as a brilliant orator.  He was known for putting together sermon series on different topics.  One such series took place in 1917 during the calamitous World War I, which greatly impacted the church when 123 members joined the military to serve their country.  For a period of several Sundays, Dr. Melton spoke about “Great Religious Truths in Modern Fiction.”  His oration had a way of captivating large audiences that came to FSBC just to hear him preach.  The church claimed more than a thousand members before the end of Dr. Melton’s second decade at Freemason Street.[17]  In April 1957, just five years after his long ministry came to an end, “Melton Hall” was formally dedicated at FSBC.  Unfortunately, Dr. Melton succumbed to pneumonia a few weeks earlier and was unable to see the new church addition.[18]

    

Freemason Street Baptist Church has had other noteworthy pastors as well, including Reverend Harold Malmborg and Dr. William Latane Lumpkin.  During Reverend Malmborg’s tenure in 1956, a proposal was brought forth that if approved would have resulted in FSBC moving to another location on Hampton Boulevard.  Initially, the Advisory Board did recommend the move, but after further discussion among church members, a congregational vote was held.  By an overwhelming margin, the congregation decided to reverse course and remain in its historic downtown building.  New traditions took root during Malmborg’s four-year ministry at FSBC as well.  In 1954, the church began hosting a “coffee hour” on Sundays after worship, which is a tradition that continued until the COVID pandemic of 2020 shut it down.[19]  Soon after Dr. Lumpkin began his ministry, “the Men of Freemason” was formed in 1959.  This club was one specifically designed for the men of the church and by 1960 its meetings were routinely attended by a couple hundred members.[20]   

 

FSBC has always taken pride in its mission to serve the downtown Norfolk community.  Shortly after being established, the church opened a free school for local residents unable to afford a private education.  It was the first such free school in the city of Norfolk.[21]  That missionary spirit continues through the present day, as the church seeks new ways of reaching the local and worldwide communities.  For a number of years, the church has supported and partnered with a sister church in Matanzas, Cuba.  FSBC provides monetary gifts and much-needed medicine to Iglesia de Dios.  The church also periodically sponsors a mission trip to visit their Cuban brethren for spiritual support.  A newer ministry at FSBC is the Norfolk Street Choir, which provides support for the local homeless people in the area.  These folks gather at church twice a week for music, arts and crafts, hot showers, and warm meals.  The church also reaches out to its downtown neighbors by hosting a community meal on Christmas and the Saturday following Thanksgiving.[22]  Traditions are remembered at Freemason Street Baptist Church and some of them are even continued today.  As it approaches the end of its second century, local Baptists and other Christians remain committed to worshiping in this historic building. 

Sources:

1.  William Latane Lumpkin, The History of the Freemason Street Baptist Church 1848-1972 (Norfolk, VA: Phaup Printing Company, 1973), 34;

“New Baptist Church,” Southern Argus (Norfolk, VA), May 23, 1848, 2; “Freemason Street Baptist Church,” The Historical Marker Database, accessed February 24, 2023.  https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=48251.

2.  Lumpkin, 38. 

3.  George Holbert Tucker, Norfolk Highlights 1584-1881 (Norfolk, VA: The Norfolk Historical Society, 1972), 83.

4.  Lumpkin, 23-27; Grace O. Cornick Scrapbooks, MSS 0000-212, Sargeant Memorial Collection, Norfolk Public Library, Norfolk, Virginia.

5.  “Laying the Corner Stone,” Southern Argus (Norfolk, VA), August 16, 1848, 2; “Freemason St. Baptist Church,” Southern Argus (Norfolk, VA), June 1, 1850.

6.  Lumpkin, 48; George H. Tucker, The Virginian-Pilot (Norfolk, VA), February 21, 1972, C1.

7.  Lumpkin, 10, 32.

8.  Stefansky, Krys, “Old is New Again.”  The Virginian-Pilot (Norfolk, VA), May 24, 2008, Daily Break 1.

9.  Lumpkin, 46. 

10.  Ibid, 43. 

11.  Stefansky, 3. 

12.  Lumpkin, 60-62, 66-67, 78-79. 

13.  Lumpkin, 88; “Hurricane: An Immense Destruction of Valuable Property,” The Public Ledger (Norfolk, VA), August 18, 1879, 1. 

14.  “Freemason Street Baptist Church,” The Historical Marker Database, accessed February 24, 2023.  https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=48251. 

15.  Lumpkin, 12, 126-127. 

16.  “Immense Crowds Greet New Pastor,” The Virginian-Pilot (Norfolk, VA), December 8, 1908, 12; Lumpkin, 127.

17.  Lumpkin, 133-135. 

18.  Ibid, 173. 

19.  Ibid, 169-170. 

20.  Ibid, 180-184. 

21.  Ibid, 44-45. 

22.  “Freemason Street Baptist Church,” accessed April 4, 2023, https://www.freemasonstreet.org/.

Street Address:  400 East Freemason Street

Name (Original): Freemason Street Baptist Church

Architect: Thomas Ustick Walter

Contractor: Unknown

Architectural Style: Gothic Revival

Cost (Original): $35,000

Construction Date: August 15, 1848-May 1850

Opening Date: May 30, 1850

Demolition Date: N/A

GPS: 36.85038519888535, -76.28690987405164

Major Keywords/Search Terms:

East Freemason Street | Walter, Thomas Ustick | Gothic Revival | Freemason Street Baptist Church | Bank Street | Cumberland Street Baptist Church | Cornerstone | Fuller, Dr. | Howell, Dr. | Odd Fellows Hall | U.S. Capitol | Jones, Reverend Tiberius Gracchus | Yellow Fever Epidemic | American Civil War | MacArthur Memorial | Norfolk City Hall | Free School | Steeple | 1879 Hurricane | Norfolk Street Choir | Iglesia de Dios | Matanzas, Cuba |                                           Melton, Dr. Sparks White | World War I | Great Religious Truths in Modern Fiction | Christian Code of Ethics | Lumpkin, Dr. William Latane |                                        Malmborg, Reverend Harold | COVID Pandemic | Men of Freemason | Thomas, William Dandridge|

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