Very little credence has been put in the old superstition that an
inauspicious beginning implies the promise of a good ending, but the
Baptist Church here is a conspicuous example of the truth of the old
saying.
In 1768 three Baptist zealots were imprisoned here on two charges: "for
preaching the gospel contrary to law," and, to use the words of the
attorney bringing the second charge, "May it please your worships, these
men cannot meet a man upon the road, but they must ram a text of scripture
down his throat." But this intrepid trio continued to preach their
doctrine, and to sing their hymns from the grated doors and windows of
their prison cells, and each day drew crowds of awed and interested
listeners.
To the Rev. Andrew Broaddus, who organized the Church here in 1804, to
Reverend Thomas S. Dunaway, whose pastorate covered a period of thirty-two
years, to Reverend Emerson L. Swift, the present efficient pastor, and
many other able and faithful men, is the church indebted for the largest
membership in church and Sunday School in the city, the communion roll
numbering twelve hundred and eighty-nine members, and eight hundred and
twenty-eight officers, teachers, and pupils of the Sunday School.
The present large and splendidly equipped building on the corner of
Princess Anne and Amelia Streets was erected in 1854, under the pastorate
of Reverend William F. Broaddus, and has had frequent additions as the
increasing activities and congregations demanded. Dr. Broaddus conducted a
successful school for young women in the basement of his church for
several years preceding the War between the States.