Shiloh Baptist Church

The origin of this congregation can be traced to 1875, when members of a Sunday School class affiliated with First Baptist Church met to plan the organization of a separate church to serve the needs of the city’s African-American residents. Formally organized on May 31, 1876, Shiloh was the first African-American Baptist church in the State of Delaware. The first pastor was Reverend Benjamin T. Moore, who continued to serve in that capacity until his death in 1928. For several years meetings were held in the Old Masonic Hall on West 12th Street. The rapid growth of the congregation resulted in a demand for additional space. Construction of a church at the corner of 12th and Orange Streets was initiated in 1881. Members continued to worship there until 1946, when the old building was sold and the congregation moved to the former site of East Baptist Church at 5th and Walnut Streets. The sale of that property to the City of Wilmington resulted in the completion of a new church on this site in 1972. A desire to extend Shiloh’s active Outreach Ministry to the community led to the purchase of additional property in 1994.