ADDRESS: 459 ROXBOROUGH AVE Name of Resource: Galilee Baptist Church Proposed Action: Designation Property Owner: Galilee Baptist Church Nominator: Historical Commission Staff Contact: Dan Shachar-Krasnoff, daniel.shachar-krasnoff@phila.gov OVERVIEW: This nomination proposes to designate the Galilee Baptist Church at 459 Roxborough Avenue as historic and list it on the Philadelphia Register of Historic Places, pursuant to Section 14-1004(1) of the Philadelphia Code. The nomination contends that Galilee Baptist Church satisfies Criterion J by exemplifying the cultural, social, and historical heritage of community. The Galilee Baptist Church has been an important Black community institution in the Roxborough/Manayunk neighborhood for 125 years. STAFF RECOMMENDATION: The staff recommends that the nomination demonstrates that the property at 459 Roxborough Avenue, the Galilee Baptist Church, satisfies Criterion for Designation J. Figure 1: Primary (north) façade of the Galilee Baptist Church at 459 Roxborough Avenue.1
Figure 2: The east façade of the church building at 459 Roxborough Avenue. Figure 3: The parcel boundary for 459 Roxborough Avenue. Source: Atlas.2
1. ADDRESS OF HISTORIC RESOURCE (must comply with an Office of Property Assessment address) Street address:__________________________________________________________________ Postal code:_______________ 2. NAME OF HISTORIC RESOURCE Historic Name:__________________________________________________________________ Current/Common Name:___________________________________________________________ 3. TYPE OF HISTORIC RESOURCE Building Structure Site Object 4. PROPERTY INFORMATION Condition: excellent good fair poor ruins Occupancy: occupied vacant under construction unknown Current use:____________________________________________________________________ 5. BOUNDARY DESCRIPTION Please attach a narrative description and site/plot plan of the resource’s boundaries. 6. DESCRIPTION Please attach a narrative description and photographs of the resource’s physical appearance, site, setting, and surroundings. 7. SIGNIFICANCE Please attach a narrative Statement of Significance citing the Criteria for Designation the resource satisfies.
Period of Significance (from year to year): from _________ to _________ Date(s) of construction and/or alteration:______________________________________________ Architect, engineer, and/or designer:_________________________________________________ Builder, contractor, and/or artisan:___________________________________________________ Original owner:__________________________________________________________________ Other significant persons:__________________________________________________________ 459 Roxborough Ave. R. Yocum Galilee Baptist Church Church3
CRITERIA FOR DESIGNATION: The historic resource satisfies the following criteria for designation (check all that apply): (a) Has significant character, interest or value as part of the development, heritage or cultural characteristics of the City, Commonwealth or Nation or is associated with the life of a person significant in the past; or, (b) Is associated with an event of importance to the history of the City, Commonwealth or Nation; or, (c) Reflects the environment in an era characterized by a distinctive architectural style; or, (d) Embodies distinguishing characteristics of an architectural style or engineering specimen; or, (e) Is the work of a designer, architect, landscape architect or designer, or engineer whose work has significantly influenced the historical, architectural, economic, social, or cultural development of the City, Commonwealth or Nation; or, (f) Contains elements of design, detail, materials or craftsmanship which represent a significant innovation; or, (g) Is part of or related to a square, park or other distinctive area which should be preserved according to an historic, cultural or architectural motif; or, (h) Owing to its unique location or singular physical characteristic, represents an established and familiar visual feature of the neighborhood, community or City; or, (i) Has yielded, or may be likely to yield, information important in pre-history or history; or (j) Exemplifies the cultural, political, economic, social or historical heritage of
the community. 8. MAJOR BIBLIOGRAPHICAL REFERENCES Please attach a bibliography. 9. NOMINATOR Organization______________________________________Date________________________________ Name with Title__________________________________ Email________________________________ Street Address____________________________________Telephone____________________________ City, State, and Postal Code______________________________________________________________ Nominator is is not the property owner.
PHC USE ONLY Date of Receipt:_______________________________________________________________________ Correct-Complete Incorrect-Incomplete Date:_________________________________ Date of Notice Issuance:_________________________________________________________________ Property Owner at Time of Notice: Name:_________________________________________________________________________ Address:_______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ City:_______________________________________ State:____ Postal Code:_________ Date(s) Reviewed by the Committee on Historic Designation:____________________________________ Date(s) Reviewed by the Historical Commission:______________________________________________ Date of Final Action:__________________________________________________________ Designated Rejected 12/7/18 Dan Shachar-Krasnoff, Preservation Planner (215) 832-21301515 Arch St – 13th Floor Philadelphia, PA 19102 April 15, 2026 April 16, 2026 April 17, 2026 Galilee Baptist Church 459 Roxborough Ave. gov Philadelphia Historical Commission April 15, 20264
5. BOUNDARY DESCRIPTION Situate on the Southeast side of Roxborough Avenue at the intersection of Roxborough Avenue and Mitchell Street in the Twenty-First Ward of the City of Philadelphia; thence extending Southward 117 feet 2 and 1/8 inches to a point in the North side of a certain 30-foot wide private street; thence extending Westwardly along the same 40 feet 7 inches to a point; thence extending Northward 117 feet and 2 and 1/8 inches to a point in the Southeast side of the said Roxborough Avenue, and thence extending Eastward along the same 40 feet 7 inches to the first mentioned point and place of beginning. Being 459 Roxborough Avenue. OPA Account No. 775299000 Parcel No. 091-N24-0016 Figure 1. 459 Roxborough Ave. Parcel. Source: Atlas.5
6. PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION The Galilee Baptist Church, located at 459 Roxborough Avenue, is situated at the southwest corner of Roxborough Avenue and Mitchell Street in the Roxborough neighborhood of Philadelphia. The one-story church, with basement, is constructed of load-bearing rubblestone and features a front facing gable roof. Figure 2. Galilee Baptist Church, 459 Roxborough Ave., Primary (north) façade, April 2026. North Façade (Roxborough Avenue - Primary) The church entry is on the left bay of the primary (north) façade. It is reached by surmounting ten steps. A classically designed surround encases double-leaf paneled wood doors. The entry projects slightly from the façade and is capped by a pyramidal, hipped roof with a simple wood cornice. A four-part round-arched stained-glass window centered on the façade. The front-6
facing gable roof is edged by a simple cornice. The basement level is marked by a ledge that creates a watertable that is made of the same rubblestone as the rest of the façade. There are two basement windows with stone lintels. Figure 3. Galilee Baptist Church, 459 Roxborough Ave., Mitchell St. (east) Façade. April 2026. East Façade (Mitchell Street) The east façade has five bays with arched stained-glass windows. The far-right bay forms the projecting bay with the church entry. The other four bays are evenly spaced in the center of the façade. The middle two bays are visually divided by a downspout. A glass block raised basement window aligns with each stained-glass window except for a middle bay that features a basement entry of dressed stone and a sloped metal roof.7
Figure 4. Galilee Baptist Church, 459 Roxborough Ave., Clearview St. (south) Façade. April 2026. South Façade (Clearview Street; rear) The south (rear) facade faces onto Clearview Street. It has three bays of stained-glass windows. All are round-arched, and the larger center window matches the window on the primary façade. Smaller round-arched windows flank the center window.8
Figure 5. Galilee Baptist Church, 459 Roxborough Ave., West Façade. April 2026. West Façade The west (side) façade has five bays with round-arched stained-glass windows. There are five glass-block basement windows. Visibility of this wall is largely blocked by the adjacent building.9
7. SIGNIFICANCE Galilee Bap�st Church at 459 Roxborough Avenue possesses significance under Criterion J, as exemplifying the cultural, poli�cal, economic, social or historical heritage of community, and should be listed on the Philadelphia Register of Historic Places, pursuant to Sec�on 14-1004(1) of the Philadelphia Code. The church was built in 1900 and 1901 and has been con�nuously used as the congrega�on’s house of worship for 125 years. The congrega�on is an ins�tu�on of the Black community in Roxborough/Manayunk, where most of the popula�on was, and remains, of European ancestry. It is also a community ins�tu�on that has endured, far removed from the historical epicenter of Philadelphia’s Black community life. Galilee Bap�st Church History The Galilee Bap�st Church was organized in 1896 by Black residents in the Roxborough/Manayunk sec�on of northwest Philadelphia. The church’s records present slightly varying accounts of the congrega�on’s forma�on. James S. Fitzgerald, the church Clerk and a trustee from 1923 to 1961, provided a descrip�on of congrega�on’s development from its founding through the 1920s. He wrote that the Rev. 1 (Perhaps this building was also known as Prohibi�on Hall. 2 Another Philadelphia Inquirer ar�cle iden�fied Prohibi�on Hall also located at Shur’s Lane and Pechin Street. )3 1 James S.
Fitzgerald, “Brief History of Galilee Baptist Church,” Undated, Galilee Baptist Church archive, p. 1. 2 The Philadelphia Inquirer, December 3, 1900, p. 6. 3 The Philadelphia Inquirer, August 13, 1893, p. 10
Figure 6. Image at Galilee Baptist Church shows possible location of the Baptist Mission that would become Galilee Baptist Church. Source: Galilee Baptist Church. Rev. Graham came from Virginia, where he was a member of a congrega�on called Galilee Bap�st Church. He suggested the church name. A�er mee�ng at Walnut Lane/Shur’s Lane and Pechin Street for a few years, the group was organized as a Bap�st congrega�on by the Rev. Horace Whalen of North Philadelphia’s Zion Bap�st Church. Rev. Royal Brown served for approximately one year as the congrega�on’s first spiritual leader. 4 The congrega�on Charter was incorporated on December 12, 1899, as Galilee Bap�st Church of the Twenty-First Ward, City of Philadelphia. The Board of Trustees consisted of: John L. Taylor, 552 Dupont Street, Sharpless White, 542 Dupont Street, Wessley E. McCullough, 6117 Ridge Avenue, Maxie C. Taliferro, Roxborough and Ridge Avenues, and John J. Moore, 554 Dupont 4 Fitzgerald, “Brief History,” p.1.11
Street. The Deacon Board at the �me of the first service was iden�fied as: James Robinson, M.C. Taliaferro, Robert Ridly, W.E. McCullough, A.D. S�th, and Richard Moss.5 The burgeoning congrega�on collected funds to construct its own church building. Assis�ng in the effort to build the church was John S. Trower, who operated a catering company in Germantown. Trower was an influen�al member of Philadelphia’s Black community at the turn of the twen�eth century, serving as President of the Philadelphia Chapter of the Na�onal Negro Business League.6 Addi�onally, he was well connected in the Bap�st community. Although he was a deacon in the Cherry Street Church, near Cherry and 11th Streets, he encouraged the development of Bap�st congrega�ons in northwest Philadelphia. 7 He helped finance the purchase of the lot for the Galilee Bap�st Church. He also assisted in funding the building of the Mount Zion Bap�st Church in Germantown.8 Figure 7.Image of John S. Trower, Financer of Galilee Baptist Church, from 39th Anniversary Program (1935) of the Congregation. Source: Galilee Baptist Church. 5 Charter of the Galilee Baptist Church of the 21st Ward, City of Philadelphia, County of Philadelphia, recorded January 10, 1900. 6 The Philadelphia Inquirer, August 3, 1902, p. 7. 7 The Philadelphia Inquirer, August 31, 1897, p. 12. 8 The Philadelphia Inquirer, May 11, 1896, p. 7.12
The construc�on of the church building is documented in newspapers of the day. On February 22, 1900, the Philadelphia Inquirer noted that Galilee Bap�st Church purchased the 46.8 x 117.2 lot at Mitchell Street and Roxborough Avenue.9 Figure 8. The Philadelphia Inquirer, February 22, 1900, p. 14. Source: Newspapers.com. Figure 9. Location of Galilee Baptist Church, G.W. Bromley Atlas, 1901. Source: Philadelphia GeoHistory. On November 24, 1900, the sub-headline in a Philadelphia Inquirer real estate ar�cle declared, “Contract Awarded to H.R. Yocum for the New Galilee Bap�st Church.” The ar�cle iden�fied Kennedy and Kelsey as the building’s architects. Components were iden�fied: a kitchen, two dressing rooms and a pastor’s study in the basement with the “church proper” on the first floor. The church’s cost was es�mated at $6,400.10 9 The Philadelphia Inquirer, February 22, 1900, p. 14. 10 The Philadelphia Inquirer, November 24, 1900, p. 15.13
Figure 10. The Philadelphia Inquirer, November 24, 1900, p. 15. Source: Newspapers.com. The cornerstone of the church was laid on December 2, 1900. The Philadelphia Times iden�fied the crowd as greater than 2,500. The cornerstone was laid “according to the Masonic ceremony...under the direc�on of the Grand Lodge of Free and accepted Masons of the State of Pennsylvania, assisted by the Grand United Order of the True Reformers.” John S. Trower, a deacon at the First African Bap�st Church of Philadelphia (formerly known as the Cherry St Bap�st Church), gave the dedica�on address. 11 11 The Philadelphia Times, December 3, 1900, p. 11.14
Figure 11. The Philadelphia Times, December 3, 1900, p. 11. Source: Newspapers.com. The Philadelphia Inquirer reported that on Sunday, December 16, 1901, the first service was conducted in the newly completed Galilee Bap�st Church. The Rev. Clarence Parrish would serve as pastor from 1899 to 1912 and it was noted that “The new church is the only one for colored persons in that sec�on of the city.”12 Rev. Parrish headed the congrega�on un�l 1912. He helped atract a growing congrega�on, although the cost of building the church resulted in debt.13 12 The Philadelphia Inquirer, December 6, 1901, p. 7. 13 Undated Galilee Church History, Galilee Baptist Church Archives, p.1.15
Figure 12 Rev. Clarence Parrish from 39th Anniversary Program (1935) of the Congregation. Source: Galilee Baptist Church. Figure 13.Early Image of Galilee Baptist Church from 39th Anniversary Program (1935) of the Congregation. Source: Galilee Baptist Church.16
Figure 14. The Philadelphia Inquirer, December 16, 1901, p7. com. Rev. Parish le� Galilee Bap�st Church in 1912 and was replaced in the same year by Rev. William T. Hall who previously was pastor of the High Street Bap�st Church in Danville, VA. Aside from pastoral responsibili�es, Rev. Hall worked to place the church on a beter financial foo�ng. When Galilee Bap�st Church paid off its debt for the building, a ceremony burning the mortgage was held. 14 Rev. Hall was energe�c and succeeded in growing the congrega�on. ” Physical improvements in the church building followed: a new pipe organ, electric lights, steam hea�ng system, cement block wall around the side and rear yard, cement pavement and pain�ng of the upper church. Rev. Hall purchased his own home and encouraged congregants to do the same. Rev. Hall’s tenure was successful although he “became unsa�sfied” and he resigned in 1922 to return to the High Street Church in Danville, Virginia. 15 In June of 1923 a commitee was formed to purchase a house to serve as the church parsonage. The commitee succeeded in obtaining the house next to the church, 457 Roxborough Avenue, for $6,700. Rev. O. 1. 17
Rev. Hall in November. Rev. Harper was, “...a great minister and pastor, members were added and finances increased.”16 Rev. Harper’s apparent charisma resulted in a foray into electoral poli�cs. In 1928 he was part of a group of reform candidates recruited by Dr. T.D. Atkins, a fellow Black pastor who was in West Philadelphia and headed the Progressive Poli�cal League.17 Harper’s pla�orm was expressed on a card: “Against oppression of labor by capital. Opposes coal strike condi�ons in the state. Stands for Enforcement of the 18th Amendment of the Cons�tu�on (Prohibi�on). Opposes the moneyed interests controlling the poli�cal des�nies of the people. Stands for religious liberty as against organized intolerance.” 18 Figure 15. Election Card for William O. Harper, 1928. Source: Galilee Baptist Church. Harper handily lost the primary elec�on to the eventual winner of the general elec�on, David A. Reed of Pitsburgh. An author in the Philadelphia Tribune, a newspaper devoted the Black community in Philadelphia, took Black voters to task for not showing Harper more support, wri�ng, “Where were our voters at the Republican Primary elec�on April 24th. Very poor excuse 16 Undated Galilee Church History, p.3. 17 The Philadelphia Inquirer, March 6, 1928, p. 4. 18 “William Harper for U.S. Senate,” 1928, Galilee Baptist Church Archives.18
to say I forgot to do my duty, what! what!! what!!! did you do for William O. Harper, he was second in this County and ran ahead of W.S. Adams 2 to 1.”19 Figure 16. The Philadelphia Tribune, May 3, 1928, p. 12. Source: Newspapers.com. The congrega�on’s membership and coffers declined during the Great Depression of the 1930s. Rev. William M. Wiggins succeeded Rev. Harper and led Galilee Bap�st Church from 1931 to 1935. Rev. Frank Mitchell, Jr. succeeded Wiggins and had a highly successful tenure as Galilee’s pastor from 1935 to 1951. The program celebra�ng the 15th anniversary of Rev. Mitchell in October 1950 illustrates the vibrancy of the congrega�on. 19 The Philadelphia Tribune, May 3, 1928, p. 12.19
Figure 17. 15th Anniversary Program of Reverand Frank B. Mitchel, Jr., 1950. Source: Galilee Baptist Church. The Registered Church Members totaled at least 300. The membership was ac�ve in numerous groups whose work was extolled in the program: • Tribe of Benjamin – Begun 1909 – General congrega�onal support • Litle Willing Workers – Assisted the homebound • Adult Sunday School - Begun 1919 – Served adults in religious educa�on • Children’s Sunday School - Served children in religious educa�on • Missionary Society - Begun 1914 - Conducted mission work locally and abroad • Women’s Bible Class 1 - Begun 1914 – Bible study • Women’s Bible Class 3 – Begun 1929 – Bible study • Willing Workers – Begun ca. 1915 • Choir • The Working Club – Begun 1924 – Raised funds for church building improvements20
• Ladies Auxiliary and Men’s Usher Board – Begun 1920 & 1923 • Bap�st Training Union – Religious youth group20 Figure 18. Board of Trustees. 15th Anniversary Program of Reverand Frank B. Mitchel, Jr., 1950. Source: Galilee Baptist Church. 20 15th Anniversary Program of Reverand Frank B. Mitchel, Jr., 1950. Source: Galilee Baptist Church.21
Figure 19. Board of Deacons. 15th Anniversary Program of Reverand Frank B. Mitchel, Jr., 1950. Source: Galilee Baptist Church.22
Figure 20. Ladies Auxiliary & Men's Usher Boards. 15th Anniversary Program of Reverand Frank B. Mitchel, Jr., 1950. Source: Galilee Baptist Church.23
Figure 21. Tribe of Benjamin. 15th Anniversary Program of Reverand Frank B. Mitchel, Jr., 1950. Source: Galilee Baptist Church.24
Rev. Mitchell le� Galilee Bap�st Church in 1951 to lead a congrega�on in West Philadelphia. He was replaced by Rev. Ernest Johnson who served as the pastor un�l 1959. Rev. Johnson implemented aid posi�ons for deacons and trustees, insisted on writen reports by the various auxiliaries at church mee�ngs, and had an interior stairway built to the basement where he installed an office.21 The 1960s were characterized by social jus�ce ac�on and organiza�onal development under Rev. T.Y. Rodgers, 1961 to 1964, and J.H. McKissick, 1965 to 1969. Rev. Rodgers was ac�ve in 400 Preachers of Philadelphia Organiza�on. The group fought for beter condi�ons for Philadelphia Public School students. On September 10, 1963, the Philadelphia Inquirer quoted Rev. Rodgers, that students in the Philadelphia Schools reported substandard building condi�ons and that the preacher’s group was contempla�ng measures to support the students. They had not taken a posi�on regarding the proposal of Cecil B. Moore, head of the Philadelphia NAACP for a school boycot.22 21 Undated Galilee Church History, p.7. 22 The Philadelphia Inquirer, September 10, 1963, p. 8.25
Figure 22. The Philadelphia Inquirer, September 10, 1963. p. 8. Source: Newspapers.com Business mee�ng notes from April 4, 1963, provide insight into other congrega�onal ac�vi�es: School kits for African children/medical supplies to be sent to disadvantaged Africans, Mission Day, 4th of July Parade par�cipa�on, religious educa�on programs and a Good Friday film.23 The congrega�on dra�ed and adopted a new Cons�tu�on in 1966-67. The extensive document delineated the organiza�on’s purpose, organiza�onal structure, induc�on procedures for new members, and roles of officers and commitees.24 Rev. Charles E. Jefferies was a significant presence in Galilee Bap�st Church during the second half of the twen�eth century. Mr. Jeffries, born in 1923, was raised in Roxborough and began to atend services at Galilee at the age of 12. He taught sixth grade in Vineland, New Jersey for more than 30 years. Despite living in southern New Jersey, he remained a significant presence at his boyhood church. He taught Sunday School and was the assistant pastor for 30 years, o�en 23 “Galilee Baptist Church Business Meeting,” April 4, 1963. Galilee Baptist Church Archives. 24 “Constitution of the Galilee Baptist Church. 1967.” Galilee Baptist Church Archives.26
serving as interim pastor when the lead pastor posi�on was vacant. He died in 2000 at the age of 76.25 Mr. Jeffries was offered the lead pastor posi�on more than once but refused. In 1999 he was honored by the congrega�on when the former parsonage was renamed the Charels E. Jeffries Educa�on Center. Figure 23. Flyer for Dedication of Rev. Charles E. Jefferies Education Center, May 30, 1999. Source: Galilee Baptist Church. Rev. Robert Collier, Sr. assumed the posi�on of head pastor in 1991 and served in that posi�on un�l December 31, 2023. He was from South Carolina, moved to Philadelphia at the age of three and grew up in Germantown. His first pastor posi�on was at Philadelphia Na�onal Bap�st Church a�er which he served as an Associate Pastor at Zion Bap�st Church.26 Rev. Collier’s 25 The Philadelphia Inquirer, June 25, 2000, p. 27. 26 “Pastor Robert Collier, Sr. A Poetic Look at his Life.” (Undated) Galilee Baptist Church Archives.27
accomplishments were many. He bolstered the congrega�on’s organiza�onal capacity by obtaining a van for the church, renaming the educa�on building in honor of Charles E. Jefferies, ins�tu�ng Laymen’s Days Awards, restar�ng Men’s and Women’s days, star�ng a Food Bank Ministry and dedica�ng the church’s lower sanctuary to Rev. Frank Mitchell, Jr. 27 Rev. Dr. Richard Brown, III currently serves as interim pastor for the church. His involvement with Galilee Bap�st Church began in the 1980s. He has been the long-�me choir director and has served as Interim Pastor since the re�rement of Rev. Collier on December 31, 2023. Dr. D. 28 Black Community Geography in Philadelphia 1700-1950 When it was founded, Galilee Bap�st Church was the only Black congrega�on in Manayunk/Roxborough. While other Black congrega�ons have come and gone in the area, Galilee Bap�st Church remains in its purpose-built church building. The significance of the property derives from its role as a Black community ins�tu�on. Black enslaved persons lived in Philadelphia from the earliest days of Dutch and Swedish coloniza�on, con�nuing through the Revolu�onary Period. Slavery was outlawed in the 1770s with gradual emancipa�on fully realized by the 1820s.
In 1860, the first census a�er the consolida�on of the county into Philadelphia city, counted 565,529 total residents of whom 22,185 or 4% of the total popula�on were Black. 4 million people in Philadelphia of which nearly 40,000 or 4%, were Black. ” (Undated). Galilee Baptist Church Archives. 28 The Philadelphia Inquirer, March 17, 1997, p. 29. , The Philadelphia Negro, (New York: 1899/1967), p. 47. 28
The 1890 census was the last one conducted before Galilee Bap�st Church began to form in 1896. The 21st Ward encompassed all of what is today called Northwest Philadelphia. The 1890 Census showed that only a minute por�on of Philadelphia’s Black popula�on lived in this sec�on of the city. The total popula�on of the 21st Ward in 1890 was 26,900 of which 93 people or one third of one percent were Black. 30 In 1890, the total popula�on of the ward was 32,168, merely 5,268 more than 10 years earlier. However, the Black popula�on increased markedly from 93 to 464. Despite this increase in the Black popula�on, the small Black community of the 21st Ward paled in comparison to the 7th Ward, located between the Schuylkill River, 11th, Spruce, and South streets, that had the largest Black popula�on of any ward in the city, 10,462 or 37% of the total popula�on of the ward. B DeBois’s study, The Philadelphia Negro, published in 1899. Using the 1890 census, the popula�on of the con�guous 4th, 5th, 7th and 8th wards was 16,780. 33 By contrast, Galilee Bap�st Church was the first Black congrega�on to build its own church building in the Manayunk/Roxborough sec�on of the 21st Ward. 30 United States. Census Office. 1890. Abstract of the Eleventh Census: 1890 .... Washington: Govt. print. , 1894. 31 United States. Census Office. 1900.
: Twelfth Census of the United States, Taken In the Year 1900. Washington: United States Census office, 190102. 32 DuBois, p. 59. 33 Emily Cooperman & Matthew Hopper, African American Churches of Philadelphia, 1778-1949. National Register of Historic Places Multiple Property Documentation Form. 29
Figure 24. Location of wards 4,5,7 & 8 and approximate location of Galilee Baptist Church in Ward 21. Wards of Philadelphia with Negro Population, 1890. Source: The Philadelphia Negro, WEB DuBois. Internet Archive. Roxborough and Manayunk The Wissahickon Creek bisects the northwest por�on of Philadelphia before it flows south and emp�es into the Schuylkill River. From the seventeenth to the nineteenth centuries, the creek and the topography isolated this sec�on of the Roxborough Township from central Philadelphia. There was proto-industrial ac�vity during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries on the creeks and streams of Roxborough. However, it was not un�l the nineteenth century that the Schuylkill Naviga�on Company built many canal segments making the Schuylkill River navigable, which promoted industry.34 By the early nineteenth century, coton and wool mills were the dominant industries, clustered along the Schuylkill River. 35 34 Schmeider, Claire G., “Historic Context Statement for Neighborhood Cluster 2, 2008-2009, Roxborough,” Architectural Research and Cultural History Historic Preservation Consulting, 2008-09, p. 19. 35 Schmeider, p. 19.30
These developments meant a concentra�on of industrial workers whose residences were clustered near the mills. 38 A�er the 1920s, industrial development trailed off. The impact of the Great Depression was felt, of course, but the trend con�nued in the ensuing decades. Not that it ceased fully. Even during the 1950s, the Container Corpora�on of America, for instance, had a factory that employed more than 1,000 people. However, by 1955, a Philadelphia City Planning Commission report iden�fied neighborhood decline due to the loss of Manayunk’s industrial base. 40 Despite efforts of large landowners to atract development to Roxborough, the largest land use became residen�al. 41 Once the growth of the Black community in Manayunk/Roxborough began, a race-based patern of development could be discerned. An anonymous descrip�on of the early years of the Galilee Bap�st Church congrega�on provides a window into this small Black community. “Roxborough – like most urban ci�es – remains segregated racially. However, from its earliest setlement it embraced a special kind of segrega�on. There were areas – very small in size – which hosted only Blacks. There were also areas where two Black families lived side by 36 Schmeider, p. 21. 37 Schmeider, p. 22. 38 Schmeider, p. 25. 26. 10. 31
side in semi-detached homes surrounded by their white neighbors. It is largely a working-class/lower-middle class area with churches, businesses, homes, etc. including a semetery(sic) where Blacks are s�ll buried in the back.” 42 The first mee�ng of the Galilee Bap�st Church at the church building is memorialized with the names of 53 atendees. The residen�al addresses of 16 of the atendees could be iden�fied between 1900 and 1920. There was a cluster around Leverington Cemetery with a few members living further south, closer to the Manayunk industrial waterfront.43 42 History of Galilee Baptist Church. Undated. P. 3. Galilee Baptist Church Archives. 43 Galilee Baptist Church, the Following Named Persons. Registered during opening of the main audience room, December 15, 1901. Galilee Baptist Church Archives.32
Figure 25. Locations of Participants in First Service at Galilee Baptist Church, 1901. Source: G.W. Bromley, 1910, Greater Philadelphia GeoHIstory Network.33
Figure 26. Chart Showing Names, Occupations & Positions of Attendees of Some Attendees of First Service at Galilee Baptist Church, 1901. Sources: Galilee Baptist Church & Ancestry.com All the occupa�ons listed, laborers, drivers, etc. are working class. By race and occupa�on this was a homogeneous group who banded together to form a religious and social community. As stated in one of the Galilee Church histories whose author was not iden�fied, “It is (Galilee Bap�st Church) and always has been a Black Church in a white neighborhood.” Conclusion Galilee Bap�st Church at 459 Roxborough Avenue possesses significance under Criterion J, exemplifying the cultural, poli�cal, economic, social or historical heritage of community and merits lis�ng on the Philadelphia Register of Historic Places, pursuant to Sec�on 14-1004(1) of the Philadelphia Code. The church was built in 1900 and 1901 and has been con�nuously used as the congrega�on’s house of worship for 125 years. The congrega�on is an ins�tu�on of the Black community in Roxborough/Manayunk where most of the popula�on was, and remains, of European ancestry. It is also an ins�tu�on of the Black community that has endured far removed from the historical epicenter of Philadelphia’s Black community life.34
BIBLIOGRAPHY Galilee Bap�st Church, 15th Anniversary Program of Reverand Frank B. , Galilee Bap�st Church 1950. Galilee Bap�st Church, Charter of the Galilee Bap�st Church of the 21st Ward, City of Philadelphia, County of Philadelphia, Galilee Bap�st Church, 1900. Galilee Bap�st Church, Collier Pastorate Accomplishments. (Undated). Galilee Bap�st Church. Galilee Bap�st Church, Cons�tu�on of the Galilee Bap�st Church. Galilee Bap�st Church, 1967. org. , “Brief History of Galilee Bap�st Church,” Galilee Bap�st Church. Undated. Galilee Bap�st Church, Galilee Bap�st Church Business Mee�ng, April 4, 1963. Galilee Bap�st Church. Galilee Bap�st Church, The Following Named Persons. Registered During Opening of the Main Audience Room. Galilee Bap�st Church, 1901. Galilee Bap�st Church, Galilee Bap�st Church History. Undated. Galilee Bap�st Church, Pastor Robert Collier, Sr. A Poe�c Look at his Life. Galilee Bap�st Church, (Undated). , Historic Context Statement for Neighborhood Cluster 2, 2008-2009, Roxborough. Philadelphia: Architectural Research and Cultural History Historic Preserva�on Consul�ng, 2008-09. United States. Census Office. 1890. Abstract of the Eleventh Census: 1890. Washington: Govt. Prin�ng office, 1894. United States. Census Office. 1900. Census Reports: Twel�h Census of the United States, Taken In the Year 1900. 35