First Baptist Church of Dayton Bicentennial

Side A: First Baptist Church of Dayton organized on May 29, 1824. A council met on the porch of William Huffman’s home at Third and Jefferson and approved 9 members as a congregation. The next day Lydia Huffman was baptized in the Great Miami River, the first recorded Baptist immersion in the city. Their first church building was erected in 1827 on Main Street. In 1829 the congregation suffered a Campbellite schism. Those resolved to remain Baptist incorporated on February 25, 1837, as The First Regular Baptist Church of Dayton, Ohio. The foundations for the Monument Avenue building were begun prior to the 1913 Dayton flood and the cornerstone was laid May 31, 1914. The building was completed, furnished, and ready for worship on June 26, 1915. (Continued on other side) Side B: (Continued from other side) First Baptist has long been a beacon of progressive ministry. Many of Dayton’s leading families — with names like Stout, Thresher, Barney, Robert, Canby, McCann, Beaver, and Deeds — were members. The church hosted Orville Wright’s 1948 funeral as his niece, Ivonette Wright Miller, was a member of the church and its choir. Notable long-serving pastors included Henry Colby (1868-1903), Charles Seasholes (1931-1965), and nationally-known Baptist leader J.C. Massee (1913-1919). First Baptist was a leading American supporter of foreign mission work while simultaneously sponsoring such fledgling Dayton congregations as Zion Baptist, considered the city’s oldest Black Baptist church. First Baptist welcomed women into leadership and in 2017 adopted a “Welcoming and Affirming” statement. Celebrating its bicentennial, First Baptist Church builds on its rich history with faith for a vibrant future.