Before there was High Point …
Before there was Greensboro …
… there was the settlement of Jamestown, and just nine years after the town was founded in 1816, Jamestown Baptist Church was formed.
Worshippers had been meeting in Jamestown for several years under the name “An Arm of Abbott’s Creek Baptist Church” because local residents tired of the 20-mile round trip to the Davidson County church. About 25 members decided to have their own official church and received approval from Abbott’s Creek to start a new church at the bend of Federal Street, now West Main Street. The site is in the north side of the Johnson/Reece/Bevan House in the Magnolia on Main townhomes site.
This was in 1825 and Sept. 3, 2025, marks the 200th anniversary of the church, now First Baptist Church in High Point.
To recognize that event, Jamestown Mayor Lynn Montgomery read a proclamation at the Aug. 19, 2025, Town Council meeting recognizing the church’s founding in Jamestown. First Baptist High Point minister Paul Olson accepted the proclamation. The proclamation can be found in the Town Council packet at www.jamestown-nc.gov.
The new church grew but not without controversy. In 1832 the majority of the membership, including the minister, were forced out because they did not want to be a church that supported missions. The remaining five members became the true Jamestown Baptist Church.
All went well in the new church but, seeing an opportunity for growth, in 1859 the congregation moved to the fledgling community of High Point at the new North Carolina Railroad’s crossroads with the Old Plank Road. The railroad had bypassed the original settlement of Jamestown west of Deep River.
Church members purchased land from Francis Fries, a Moravian and promoter of the North Carolina Railroad, and the new church was called High Point Missionary Baptist Church. Since the Old Plank Road was then called Salem Street, as it led to the nearby Moravian community of Salem, the church later changed its name to Salem Street Baptist Church and finally to First Baptist.
The Civil War began not long after the move to High Point. No services were held during the war but the little white framed church building was used as a hospital for Confederate soldiers for a time, due to its proximity to the railroad and the old Bellevue Hotel, which also served as a hospital and was across the street from the railroad station.
Growth continued and the little church was replaced by a large brick church with stained glass in 1905, which itself was replaced by the current building in 1941.
First Baptist High Point is the parent of Green Street Baptist and Emerywood Baptist churches and has sponsored and supported a Vietnamese mission (now a church of its own in Jamestown), a sewing ministry, Open Door Ministries, West End Ministries, Operation Inasmuch and has participated in many in-country and overseas mission trips. Members have come from home countries such as Haiti, Mexico, Thailand, Canada and Vietnam.
In 2019 Christ United Methodist Church sold their property to High Point University and needed a new location. First Baptist warmly welcomed them to hold worship Sunday mornings prior to that of First Baptist. When CUMC merged with First Methodist in 2021, their daycare, Christ’s Little Acorns, remained and became a part of First Baptist. The daycare moved again several years later to Westchester Baptist.
The church has remained on its original location since 1859 but change is ahead. Like many churches, attendance is not what it used to be, with many older members. The building became too large and expensive to keep up. In 2023 the church sold its property to the City of High Point. The congregation was allowed to lease the building for two years while it looked for a new location but none has yet been found. Recently, the city extended the lease another year. The search goes on for an existing facility or property to build on.
But that future is not dampening the spirits of the congregation of First Baptist High Point. They began celebrating their 200th anniversary last September and plan to continue for another year. On Sept. 7 this year there will be a worship service recognizing the church’s bicentennial. Special music, recognitions, and sermon by Dr. Bill Leonard, a church historian, will be followed by a covered dish lunch. The lobby of the Recreation Ministries Center will be the site of a walk-through history of the church, with 10 panels each representing 20 years of history. Several former ministers are scheduled to preach during the upcoming year.
Members of First Baptist High Point are glad to be part of the oldest established church in High Point. They also recognize and are proud of its heritage in Jamestown and plan to have many more years of service to God.