Historic first baptist church
Audio recording
The 1874 church is the oldest African American church in the Pacific area. Five generations have worshiped, been baptized, married and buried from this church. Brother William Wallace said, “you could look at one family and know Pacific history.”
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King William Adams, who had been born a slave, bought the land for the church. This was only the second purchase of Pacific real estate by a black person. As one of its members from 1870 to 1929, King Adams worked in the yards of well-to-do white families and was known to have a fine hand with flowers. He was also a non-stop talker and teacher, who graced his family and the community of Pacific with a legacy of language. His son Jesse mentored the black community and read the newspaper aloud to his neighbors. His grandson Udell became a business owner who started the city’s first waste hauling service. His great-grandson Herbert served in Pacific government for 34 years as municipal judge, alderman and mayor. The Adams family has supported Historic First Baptist for over 140 years.