{"nrhp_refnum":"97000575","name":"St. John's Missionary Baptist Church","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"1130 Walt Bellamy Dr.","address_restricted":false,"city":"New Bern","county":"Craven County","state":"NC","lat":35.10454333300004,"lon":-77.05300546599995,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1997-06-30","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Science","Architecture","Black"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A large red brick Neoclassical (Classical) Revival church at 1130 Walt Bellamy Drive in the Long Wharf/Lawson Creek neighborhood of New Bern, Craven County, North Carolina, built in 1926 by contractor Mr. Perry of Edenton for St. John's Missionary Baptist Church.","why_significant":"The church is considered the architecturally significant sanctuary of what may be the oldest Black Baptist congregation in New Bern, founded according to tradition in 1865. Its tall bell tower and large sanctuary have made it an architectural and community focus of its historic African American neighborhood throughout the twentieth century. It qualifies under Criterion A for religion and Black ethnic heritage and Criterion C for architecture.","narrative":"Built in 1926 on a prominent corner in New Bern's Long Wharf/Lawson Creek neighborhood, St. John's Missionary Baptist Church is a large brick sanctuary with a three-stage entrance tower and stepped wooden steeple. Red brick walls with yellow brick corner quoins give a polychrome effect, and round-arched windows have concrete keystones. Inside, the sanctuary has a vaulted beadboard ceiling, exposed trusses, original pine pews and a baptismal pool behind the chancel. The congregation traces its origins to 1865 and bought its lot in 1869, after worshipping in two earlier buildings. Rev. W. H. A. Stallings, pastor from 1919 to 1951, led the planning of the new church, which Mr. Perry, a contractor from Edenton, built. It was regarded as the most luxurious Baptist church in the area, and its bell drew members from across the neighborhood. In 1944 the church started the first Black-operated credit union in New Bern. It is listed for its architecture, religious history and African American heritage.","period_of_significance":"1926-1947","architect_builder":"Mr. Perry, contractor (of Edenton)","architectural_style":"Classical Revival (described in the text as Neoclassical Revival)","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"The church remains in religious use. A c.1963 brick parsonage behind it, which is noncontributing, now houses a day care. Structural repairs to the bell tower are a stated future goal.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:57:49.485255-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/39/7175/47717539/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NC/97000575.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/97000575/431cef45ef-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/97000575/431cef45ef-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Cecouchman","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:StJohnsMBChurch_5533.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Cecouchman</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:StJohnsMBChurch_5533.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/47717539","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._John%27s_Missionary_Baptist_Church","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7588799"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/north-carolina/craven-county/st-johns-missionary-baptist-church-97000575/"}