Oldest Unitarian Church

October 29, 1818

Categories: African American, Culture, Religion
Tags: 1817 – 1860, Baltimore City

The First Independent Church of Baltimore is the oldest continuously used Unitarian church in the U.S. It was dedicated to “Unitarians” who “cherish the liberal sentiments on the subject of religion.”  Jared Sparks, the leading clergy, later served as Chaplain to the U.S. House of Representative and President of Harvard College.

The new church is designed by French émigré J. Maximilian M. Godefroy (1765-ca1838).

The Unitarian Church has always been dedicated to community service and social justice. After the Civil War it organized the Baltimore Association for the Moral and Intellectual Improvement of Colored People, establishing more than 200 schools for freed Blacks.

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First Unitarian Church Baltimore

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