Second Baptist and Wooster’s African American Community

by Shannon Dade, revised by Glenna Van Dyke

Black and white photograph of Second Baptist Church

Since 1892, the Second Baptist Church has been a cultural, spiritual, and social anchor for Wooster’s African American community, and was the first historically African American church in town. Over the last 120 years, Second Baptist has grown from a modest group of families worshiping in the Spink Street firehouse to a congregation over 200 strong. Over the years it has grown and changed but it has always remained a centerpiece for African Americans in Wooster.  

The Founding of Second Baptist  

After the Civil War, African Americans migrated north in search of a better life. Between 1860 and 1880, some came to Wooster, and the town’s African American population grew from 7 to 32. To practice their common faith, several African American families gathered in the fire station on Spink Street. In 1892, the congregation was invited to worship at Bethany Baptist (now First Baptist). 1 However, many African American leaders in Wooster such as Henry Smith, Henry Follis, Samuel Johnson, and Sally Craig decided that they needed their own place to worship, and Second Baptist was born 2  Congregation members raised enough funds to buy some land on Vine Stree from Jacob Frick, and in 1894 the building was complete. President Scovel of the University of Wooster even spoke at the church’s dedication ceremony. 

Excerpt from the land deed that shows the founders of Second Baptist buying a plot on Vine Street for their church.
This land deed shows Second Baptist’s founders’ purchase of a lot of land on Vine Street from Jacob Frick in 1892.
Excerpt from the Wooster Republican that announces the dedication of Second Baptist.
This announcement of Second Baptist’s dedication appeared in the Wooster Republican on October 24, 1894.
Portrait of Richard L. Morrison.
Portrait of Richard L. Morrison, an early leader in the African American community. At a meeting at his house in 1892, Second Baptist Church was founded.

Civil Rights and Second Baptist

Reverend Leroy Adams took over ministry of Second Baptist in 1963, one of the most tumultuous times for African Americans. At the same time, the Civil Rights Movement was sweeping the country and Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. had just made his famous “I Have a Dream” speech. Adams took up the call for racial equality and made it a priority in his ministry, making Second Baptist a support network for addressing local civil rights issues, though the congregation was not outwardly politically active.  

Excerpt of the Daily Record.
This Daily Record article tells the story of Dick Morrison and his wife, who struggled for ten years to buy a home in northern Wooster and were restricted by racially discriminatory housing policies

Excerpt of the Daily Record.
This  1964 Daily Record article discusses the discrimination that African Americans in Wooster faced in the housing market.

In Wooster, the main concern of African Americans was housing discrimination and de facto segregation. For years, African Americans had been restricted to living south of Wayne Avenue. Even the respected Richard Morrison Jr., who had won Wooster’s “Citizen of the Year” in 1975, was not able to purchase a house in a mostly white neighborhood in 1964.3 During his time as Reverend, Adams assisted many members of his congregation who faced discrimination both in housing and employment. 4  

Reverend Leroy Adams standing with his wife and his children.
Reverend Leroy Adams with his wife and children. Reverend Adams began preaching at Second Baptist in 1963, a crucial year in American history and in the history of Second Baptist Church

A New Chapter: Second Baptist Today  

By the 1960s, Second Baptist had been a cornerstone of Wooster’s African American community for over 70 years. The congregation grew considerably over time and eventually the small church couldn’t fit everyone attending church, community events, and educational projects. In 1955, the congregation moved from the original Vine Street location to a church on Grant Street purchased from Trinity United Church of Christ. However, the building was over 100 years old and was still too small for all 150 members of Second Baptist. Reverend Adams announced plans to raise money for a new church, telling the Daily Record, “We are also hoping to organize a youth club to fight juvenile delinquency and an adult educational class.” 5 Over the next decade, the congregation and the greater community came together to raise funds, and in 1975 the Grant Street church was demolished to make way for a new one. By 1976, work was complete, and the first worship service was held.6 With this new building, Second Baptist expanded its role in the community even further.  

Modern photograph of Second Baptist Church
The current location of Second Baptist Church at 245 South Grant Sreet. This building was constructed in 1976.
Second Baptist church being demolished in 1975.
In 1975, the building that Second Baptist had purchased in 1955 was razed in preparation for the construction of the new church.
Photograph of a house from 1955.
Second Baptist’s congregation relocated to this building on Grant Street in 1955.
People gathered around a man wearing a hard hat and holding a shovel.
On February 24, 1975, Second Baptist held a groundbreaking ceremony for the construction of the new church building.
Excerpt of the Daily Record from 1964.
In this 1964 Daily Record  article, Reverend Leroy Adams discusses his plans for  rebuilding the church and expanding its involvement in the community.
Article from the Wooster Daily Record.
This article appeared in the Daily Record in 1975, when Second Baptist church was razed in preparation for the construction of the new building.

Notable Members: The Morrisons 

Portrait of Richard L. Morrison.

Richard L. Morrison came from Roanoke, Virginia to Wooster in 1880 and became a barber, mostly serving businessmen and University professors. He also worked for Jacob Frick and would eventually purchase land from him to establish Second Baptist Church. Morrison quickly became a local leader within the African American community. 7 His son, Richard “Dick” Morrison Jr., began working alongside his father as a child and eventually opened his own barber shop in 1912. 8  The Morrison Barber Shop, which was where the Daily Record Building is now, became a local landmark. Dick Morrison was a Second Baptist and community leader as well, and was named Wooster’s Citizen of the Year in 1975.9 

Excerpt from the Daily Record.
This 1962 Daily Record article celebrated the 50th anniversary of Dick Morrison Jr.’s barbershop, a Wooster insitution.

Notable Members: Charels Follis  

Charels W. Follis (1879-1910) was the son of Jacob Follis, one of the founders of Second Baptist. After playing at Wooster High School, Follis signed with the Shelby Athletic Club in 1904, where he earned the nickname “Black Cyclone”. Then, Charels played for the University of Wooster and would become one of the first African Americans to play professional football. Today, the Wooster Generals play on Follis Field in his honor. 10  

Members of the Shelby Blues team in. 1902.
The Shelby Blues, part of the Ohio League, in 1902
Members of the Wooster High School football team in 1899.
Wooster High School’s first football team, captained by Charles Follis

Preserving the Vine Street Church

The original Second Baptist church building from 1892 changed hands several times since the congregation moved. In the 1970s, the building was split into apartments, and in 2009, a Wooster couple bought the land with the intention of demolishing the church to build a Wooster Glass Co. site. Many Wooster community members, however, were opposed to seeing this historic building destroyed. Lydia Thompson, a local leader and Second Baptist’s resident historian, quickly organized a committee to help save the church. As of 2013, the building was dismantled and placed in storage. The preservation committee has high hopes for the building’s future. They hope to convert it into a daycare facility and a black cultural center, preserving the church’s original role as a pillar of African American culture in Wooster. 11 

The Vine Street Church's roof being dismantled.
This photo of the Vine Street church building being dismantled for storage appeared in the Daily Record in 2012.
Letter written by Lydia Thompson.
Lydia Thompson, who has lead the effort to preserve the building, wrote this letter to the Wayne County Historical Society in 2009 to propose the preservation of the Vine Street church as a historical landmark.

Sources:

1 Alma Kaufmann, “Wooster Negro Buys a Home – Ten Year Story Has a Happy Ending,” The Daily Record, July 13, 1964, “Dick Morrison Dies; An Era Ends,” The Daily Record, Oct. 11, 1977. 
2 Alma Kaufmann, “Housing is Rated Number One Problem of Wooster’s Negroes,” The Daily Record, July 11, 1964. 

3 Alma Kaufmann, “Wooster Negro Buys a Home – Ten Year Story Has a Happy Ending,” The Daily Record, July 13, 1964, “Dick Morrison Dies; An Era Ends,” The Daily Record, Oct. 11, 1977. 
4 Alma Kaufmann, “Housing is Rated Number One Problem of Wooster’s Negroes,” The Daily Record, July 11, 1964. 

5 Second Baptist Sets Goal for New Church,” The Daily Record, Oct.10, 1964,4. 
6 100th Anniversary: Second Baptist Church, 1892-1992, ed. Souvenir Book Committee, Margaret Bryant, et all, October 11,1992. Second Baptist Church: Wooster, WCPL Genealogy. 

7“Dick Morrison, Colored Man Who Has Made Good, Arrived in Wooster Just Forty Years Ago Today,” The Daily Record, April 9, 1920, 3. 
8 William Parker, “Woosterian Barbers Five Generations in Fifty Years,” The Daily Record, May 2, 1962. 
9 “Dick Morrison Dies; An Era Ends,” The Daily Record, Oct. 11, 1977 

10 Ernie Infield, “The ‘Black Cyclone’: A Closer Look at Charles Follis,” The Daily Record, April 18, 1994, A12. 

11 Paul Locher, “Second Baptist Church Dismantled and Put in Storage, For Now,” The Daily Record, April 3, 2012. 

How to cite this page:

MLA: “Second Baptist and Wooster’s African American Community.” stories.woosterhistory.org, http://stories.woosterhistory.org/second-baptist-and-woosters-african-american-community/. Accessed [Today’s Date].

Chicago: “Second Baptist and Wooster’s African American Community.” stories.woosterhistory.org. http://stories.woosterhistory.org/second-baptist-and-woosters-african-american-community/ (accessed [Today’s Date]).

APA: (Year, Month Date). Second Baptist and Wooster’s African American Community. stories.woosterhistory.org. http://stories.woosterhistory.org/second-baptist-and-woosters-african-american-community/