{"nrhp_refnum":"78000971","name":"First Bryan Baptist Church","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"575 W. Bryan St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Savannah","county":"Chatham County","state":"GA","lat":32.08201579200005,"lon":-81.09933258699994,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1978-05-22","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture","Religion"],"significance_levels":["national"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"First Bryan Baptist Church is a stuccoed brick church building at 575 West Bryan Street in the Yamacraw section of Savannah, Chatham County, Georgia. The present church was built in 1873 to a plan by John B. Howard, on a lot held by the congregation since 1793.","why_significant":"The congregation descends from the one Andrew Bryan organized in 1788, described as the first black Baptist church in North America. The church occupies ground that may be the longest continually held by Black owners in the United States. Its members played roles in Savannah and Georgia history, including the 1865 meeting with General Sherman that led to Special Order No. 15.","narrative":"Located on West Bryan Street in Savannah's Yamacraw section, this brick church with white stuccoed walls was built in 1873 to a plan by city surveyor John B. Howard. It has a basilican layout, full-height pilasters, a recessed portico, a small wooden steeple and an interior colonnade supporting a gallery. Its congregation traces back to the group Andrew Bryan organized in 1788, described as the first black Baptist church in North America. The lot was acquired in trust for Bryan in 1793, and the property may be the longest continually held by Black owners in the country. Church members took part in the January 1865 meeting with General Sherman that preceded Special Order No. 15, and pastor Ulysses L. Houston served as a Reconstruction legislator. The 1873 building was constructed by black artisans and laborers. Little has changed since 1888 apart from a choir added in 1945 and an education annex built in 1951-53.","period_of_significance":"1700-1799, 1800-1899","architect_builder":"Plan drawn by John B. Howard; construction done by black artisans and labor","architectural_style":"Basilican plan with nave and aisles, pilasters and a recessed portico","criteria":[],"status_note":"Occupied and still used by the congregation as a church; condition listed as good, slightly altered, on its original site.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:55:40.619236-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_GA/78000971.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/78000971/64bb58a976-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/78000971/64bb58a976-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Ebyabe","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:GA_Savannah_First_Bryan_Baptist01.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Ebyabe</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:GA_Savannah_First_Bryan_Baptist01.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/93207300","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Bryan_Baptist_Church","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5452570"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/georgia/chatham-county/first-bryan-baptist-church-78000971/"}