Fourth Street Baptist Church

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Historical marker #2620 in Daviess County marks the site of Fourth Street Baptist Church, the oldest African American church in the county.

Among the first Baptist churches established in what is now Daviess County, Yelvington Baptist Church, was founded in 1813. The church moved to the Yelvington community in the 1850s and began with 23 white members and 2 Black members. One of the original Black members was a man named Oliver Potts, who was enslaved by Jesse Potts. Oliver was recognized by the other Black members of the church as their spiritual leader. In 1830, Philip Thompson, a white land-owner, provided a log cabin-house to serve as a worship space for the Black parishioners. It was located at Second and Walnut Streets, which is just two blocks north of the current location of Fourth Street Baptist Church.

A surge of religious interest led to the establishment of a new Owensboro church and in 1835, a handful of members, both white and Black, withdrew from the Yelvington Church to form the United Baptist Church of Jesus Christ at Owensboro. For a time, the white members of the United Baptist Church met in the courthouse or in the Seminary building and in 1835 the original log cabin was replaced with a larger one for the Black members. When a brick church was built on the banks of the Ohio River in 1838, Black worshipers could attend the same services as whites, although seating was segregated.

Around 1843, the Black branch of United Baptist Church was constituted into a separate organization, while still part of UBC. The Black branch could select its own pastor, elect its own deacons, clerk, and treasurer, and manage all other church matters. In 1866, the Black Baptist Church, which would become known as Fourth Street Baptist Church, was founded when the congregation requested and was granted full independence from the white branch.

The log church remained in use until 1858, when Owensboro Baptist built a brick building for the African Branch, as the Black congregation was known, on Fourth Street. Fourth Street’s building was later destroyed by fire and replaced in 1893 with a gothic-style building. The current building was erected in 1973.

The marker reads:

Fourth Street Baptist Church

In 1830, a Baptist church began
in a log cabin-house, which
was provided for Black worshipers
by Philip Thompson. The
congregation was first led by Black
Baptist Minister Oliver Potts. The
Black Baptist Church was founded
after the Civil War & in 1866 was
named Fourth Street Baptist Church.
It is the oldest African American
church in Daviess County.

It was dedicated on September 24, 2020.