Shiloh Baptist Church (Washington, D.C.)

Shiloh Baptist Church of Washington, D.C. was founded in 1863 by the black men and women who had been members of the Shiloh Baptist Church of Fredericksburg, Virginia. Originally a white-controlled church with a black membership comprised of slaves and free blacks, the Fredericksburg church building was purchased in 1854 by the black congregants.

The Civil War set in motion the chain of events that led to the founding of Shiloh in Washington, D.C. In anticipation of a planned attack on Fredericksburg in 1862, the Union Army protected the city's slave and free black population by providing transportation to Washington for those who sought to escape. Approximately 400 members of the Shiloh Baptist Church of Fredericksburg were among the migrants. In 1863 members formed a Shiloh Baptist Church in Washington, D.C. Since 1863 only five pastors have led the church, each making major contributions in the realms of education, housing and family programs.

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