{"nrhp_refnum":"86003386","name":"First Baptist Church","other_names":["First Baptist Church (former)"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"401 S. Scales St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Reidsville","county":"Rockingham County","state":"NC","lat":36.35738255100006,"lon":-79.66421194899993,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1986-12-11","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Black","Architecture","Religion"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A brick Gothic Revival church building at the southeast corner of South Scales and Williams streets in Reidsville, Rockingham County, North Carolina, constructed in 1918 for the black First Baptist Church. The congregation later moved to a new facility in 1975 and the building has been used by another religious group.","why_significant":"The building is listed as the former home of the first separate black Baptist church in Reidsville, a congregation that grew steadily through much of the 20th century. It is also presented as a relatively intact example of early 20th century Gothic Revival church architecture in a small town setting. Its association with the post-Civil War movement to establish separate black churches is cited as a basis for significance.","narrative":"Built in 1918 on the southeast corner of South Scales and Williams streets in Reidsville, this solid masonry church is a late Gothic Revival building of common bond brick set on a raised foundation with a basement. Its three-bay facade has a central gabled bay with a three-part tracery stained glass window, flanked by crenellated towers of unequal height. Side elevations carry stained glass windows in round-arched openings, and the rear gable has a rose window, though ghost marks show it was once set higher. The interior has an open truss ceiling carried on large square posts, an ogee arch framing the choir loft and baptistry, and beaded wainscoting beneath plaster walls. The building was the home of the first separate black church in Reidsville, organized by 1874 by members of the Reidsville Baptist Church. The congregation grew steadily through the 20th century and moved to a new facility in 1975. Nearby commercial development has put pressure on the site.","period_of_significance":"1918","architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":"Gothic Revival","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Formerly housed the congregation, which moved in 1975; the building was later used again by a religious group after standing vacant for a number of years.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-haiku-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.1-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 17:11:41.906495-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/76/7183/47718376/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NC/86003386.pdf"},"photo":null,"district":{"nrhp_refnum":"86003391","name":"Reidsville Historic District","url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/districts/north-carolina/reidsville-historic-district-86003391/"},"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/47718376","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Baptist_Church_(Reidsville,_North_Carolina)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5452428"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/north-carolina/rockingham-county/first-baptist-church-86003386/"}