Michigan Street Baptist Church
Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974, the Michigan Street Baptist Church has been a hub of abolitionist and civil rights activism since its founding and plays an important role in American history.
In 1836, a group of African American men met to incorporate themselves as the Second Baptist Society of Buffalo. In 1845, a group of six trustees purchased land on Michigan Street, and the congregation dedicated the completed church in 1849.
The Michigan Street Baptist Church quickly became the center of community life for Buffalo's growing Black community. Often noted as the last stop on the Underground Railroad, the Michigan Street Baptist Church became a beacon of hope for countless individuals, many of them choosing to stay here in Buffalo.
An alliance of parishioners, especially Mary Talbert, with minister J. Edward Nash brought the Michigan Street Baptist Church to national attention, with the formation of the Niagara Movement, the precursor to the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP).
In the 1970s, Buffalo was struggling with Urban Renewal policies. Many of the historic buildings in the Michigan Street Corridor were destroyed. The Michigan Street Baptist Church was purchased for $1 in 1975 by El Bethel Temple Holiness Church, led by Bishop William K. Henderson. In 2001, Bishop Henderson and other community members organized a new nonprofit, the Buffalo Niagara Freedom Station Coalition, to restore the historic church.
As of October 2022, the first phase of restoration, which primarily focused on stabilizing the building, has been completed. The next phases will include building an accessible annex, restoring the interior to a 1849 - 1913 time frame, and adding community gardens.
For more information, visit www.michiganstreetbaptistchurch.org
Our project is designed to gain further insight about what daily life was like for members of the 19th century African American church congregation, and to use public archaeology as a medium to invite the community to participate in the interpretation of the historical narrative.
One goal was to locate the foundation of the former home of Peyton Harris, an active member in the church congregation who aided in the construction of the church. Mr. Harris played a role in both local and national anti-slavery movements. Additionally, we sought to locate the original builder’s trenches for both the Harris home and the Michigan Street Baptist Church so we can recover artifacts that were deposited by the people who actually built the church. By inviting the public to participate in these efforts we hoped to create a space for discussion about the history of this space, and how community members today relate to this history and the Michigan Street Corridor as a whole.
In September 2021, we organized Community Archaeology Days on Friday and Satursdays. The opening celebration corresponded with the Smithsonian Museum Day and Doors Open Buffalo, drawing community members, community activists, family members of former church leaders and elected officials. The public was invited to participate in the excavation process and visit several activity stations set up at the site.
An original map of the Michigan Street Baptist Church site.
A Google maps view map of the Michigan Street Baptist Church site in 2021.
We tested a grassy lot just northeast of the church, where the former home of Peyton Harris once stood, as well as the grassy area at the rear of the church. These spaces were tested by placing a shovel test pit (STP) at a 5-meter (16.4 feet) interval. A total of 21 STPs were excavated, all of which contained artifacts of some kind. The first STP opened revealed a possible corner of the former Peyton Harris house.
While a complete analysis of the materials recovered and the soil stratigraphy of the site is still ongoing, it is evident that this space offers an immense amount of further research potential.
Are you in need of UB Archaeological Survey services?
Does your property have historical artifacts or historical significance? Does your project require work with the US Army Corps of Engineers and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC)? Are you seeking Historical Tax Credits for a commercial project? For these projects and more, contact: Doug Perrelli at perrelli@buffalo.edu or call 716.645.2297.
