Second Baptist Church (Centerville, Iowa)

Second Baptist Church is an historic church building located in Centerville, Iowa, United States. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1999.[1]

Second Baptist Church
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Location	422 S. 18th St. Centerville, Iowa
Coordinates	40°43′47″N 92°52′4″W
Area	less than one acre
Built	1902
Architectural style	Late Gothic Revival
MPS	Centerville MPS
NRHP reference No.	99001223[1]
Added to NRHP	October 14, 1999

History

The congregation was organized in 1893 by African Americans. There were twelve people in the congregation when the church began.[2] The congregation grew in size and by 1902 they desired their own church building. They began fundraising and the cornerstone for the structure was laid in June of that year. The wood-framed structure was designed in the Gothic Revival style.

Coal mining in the area began to decline in the 1920s and the congregation's membership peaked in the 1930s at 126 people. Opera singer Simon Estes sang in the church choir in the 1940s.[2] The congregation continued to use the church until the early 1990s. The building sat empty for a short time until efforts to preserve it began in 1996. The restoration project was completed in 2003 and it is now used for musical and other events.

References

1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
2. Molly Myers Naumann. "Second Baptist Church". National Park Service. Retrieved 2016-02-29. with photos