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Mt. Zion Baptist Church (1888), Salem, NJ

In 1888, George Kelsic Sr., called to his home Edward Brooks, Taswel Harris, George Curry and Griffin Garnet to discuss organizing a Baptist church in Salem, New Jersey. A few months later, these former Virginians with a vision called Reverend Strand of Virginia to come and pastor a small group of dedicated Christians. He agreed and Mt. Zion was born.

The early church was held in what was known as the “Old Pickle House” located on Howell Street. The church grew rapidly in a dozen years under the leadership of Reverends Strand, Holstead, “Cyelone” Robinson, (so called for his fiery sermons and his uncanny predictions of things to come) and R.D. Johnson.  Reverend I.M. Holly, D.D., the churchs fifth pastor, served from 1900 to 1952.

The church was moved from the “Pickle House” to Rumsey Hall, at Broadway and Seventh streets in 1900. Worship services were held there until the new church was built on Union Street. The cornerstone was laid in 1912.  In 1878, the Mt. Pisgah AME congregation erected this fine brick church in Salem.  Mt. Pisgah is one of he earliest congregations in the state, organized in 1800.  The building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.  It draws on a rich legacy of southern New Jersey architecture, which is in turn derived from the Georgian traditions of Philadelphia.  Gouldtown, in Cumberland county, was an important early black community.  Appropriately, it is the site of one of the most interesting black churches, Trinity AME.  A traditional meetinghouse in the style of the Springfield Presbyterian church, it was erected about 1860.

SOURCE: ZION BAPTIST CHURCH, MT. PISGAH AME AND GOLUDTOWN

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