HISTORIC PRESERVATION
Springfield Baptist Church, Augusta
102 SPRINGFIELD WAY, AUGUSTA · ORGANIZED 1787 · NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES
Springfield Baptist Church, at 12th and Reynolds Streets in Augusta, is the oldest independent African-American church in the nation, organized in 1787, and the place where Morehouse College was founded in 1867. Its 1801 meetinghouse is the oldest church building still standing in Augusta; it and the 1897 Gothic sanctuary are on the National Register of Historic Places. MPC is restoring the church back to its historic-preservation status, starting in the bell tower: restoration of the 1881 bell began in January 2026, and the finished bell was rededicated at the church’s 239th anniversary celebration on August 9, 2026. The tower got a new timber stair and framing, and work continues on the church’s restoration projects.
- Bell restoration begins — January 2026
- Bell restored and rededicated at the 239th anniversary — August 9, 2026
- New timber stair and framing in the bell tower — complete
- Restoration to historic-preservation status — continuing
- 1787
- CONGREGATION ORGANIZED
- 1801
- MEETINGHOUSE BUILT
- 1867
- MOREHOUSE COLLEGE FOUNDED HERE
- 1881
- BELL CAST, McSHANE FOUNDRY
- 2026
- BELL RESTORED BY MPC
References: Wikipedia (opens in a new tab) · Georgia Historical Society marker (opens in a new tab) · National Register of Historic Places #82002461 (opens in a new tab)