The history of the Black Church chronicles the development of an institution that far exceeded its fundamental mission:  to afford spiritual guidance for its members. Confronted by a hostile environment, African Americans, both enslaved and free, found refuge in religious institutions and a myriad of programs and services that supported the preservation and enhancement of life here on Earth. Churches served as the foundation on which educational, political, social, entrepreneurial and civic activities were fashioned.  They also acted as an outlet through which members exercised an active voice for social justice, educational access, political engagement and economic advancement.  Many influential and impactful leaders learned and honed leadership skills under the encouraging tutelage of church elders.

Buffalo’s Black faith-based community began to organize even before there were edifices to house their congregations.  In the early decades of the 19th century, Blacks either worshiped in white churches, often in segregated sections, or formed religious societies. However, the resolve to have their own houses of worship prevailed.  During a 30-year span, four “colored” churches were organized for a population that eventually numbered 800.  In 1831, Buffalo’s Colored Methodist Religious Society, later known as the Vine Street African Methodist Episcopal Church, became the first church formed exclusively for African Americans.

Other denominations soon planted and fostered their own congregations.  The foundation of the Michigan Street Baptist Church was established in 1836.  A third church, the East Presbyterian Church, was founded after dissidents broke from the Vine Street AME in 1849, and St. Philip’s Protestant Episcopal Church was formally consecrated in 1866.  St. Philip’s emerged as the result of an intriguing connection to the East Presbyterian Church.  Incredibly, Vine Street (now Bethel AME), Michigan Street Baptist and St. Philips Episcopal have continued as active religious institutions to this day.

Much has been written about three of these historic religious bodies.  The Presbyterian congregation, however, has been forgotten. Its history is barely documented and rarely acknowledged, even though it persevered for over a decade and provided the foundation for the formation of St. Philip’s.

In 1831, the Colored Methodist Society worshipped in a frame house on Carroll Street on Buffalo’s East Side.   The society remained independent until 1837, when it formally affiliated with the African Methodist Episcopal denomination. In 1838, the church became popularly known as the Vine Street African Methodist Episcopal Church when the congregation moved to Vine Street. In 1845, the congregation built a new brick edifice, which it occupied until 1928.

Rev. George Weir Sr., a native of North Carolina who moved to Buffalo around 1833, was Vine Street’s first pastor. During a 10-year pastorate, he was also an influential and impressive activist in Buffalo and the state.  Weir’s son, George Weir Jr., joined his father as an officer of the church.  A grocer, George Jr. was one of the first African American entrepreneurs in the city.  Father and son were a formidable duo, but George Jr. would carve out his own legacy as a founder of the East Presbyterian Church.   Rev. Weir’s pastoral assignment at Vine Street AME Church ended in 1848, which may have contributed to dissension within the church.  

Within five years of Vine Street AME’s founding, it was joined by another religious assembly formed in response to African Americans’ determination to chart their own “soul salvation.”  The first “colored” Baptist congregation had its origins in the Washington Street Baptist Church, a predominantly white membership organization.  In 1836, 13 African American women and men who had worshiped at Washington Street left to form the Second Baptist Church.  The group began by holding worship services on the second floor of a small building that housed an undertaker’s parlor.

By 1843, the congregation of 56 decided that it was time for a dedicated house of worship.  Deacon Peyton Harris, one of the 13 founders, was instrumental in the construction of a religious edifice that has survived to this day.  Harris and his son-in-law, William Qualls, found land on Michigan Street near Batavia (now Broadway).  Harris secured the lumber, brick and stone for the new structure.   The pair also worked with Rev. Samuel Davis, the church’s pastor, on the construction project. A mason by trade, Davis did much of the masonry of the building. The cornerstone of the structure was laid in June 1845. According to church history, “work progressed rapidly on the building and, the following spring, they were able to worship in the basement.”  Construction was completed in 1849.

Back at Vine Street AME, Rev. George Weir Sr. was succeeded in 1848 by Rev. Thomas Jackson, who stayed a year.  Jackson was followed, in turn, by Rev. Robert Burch, who served for two years.  During Burch’s tenure, a group of church leaders and members left Vine Street to form another congregation.  The dissidents included several of the more affluent members of Buffalo’s Black community, as well as George Weir Jr.

In A History of Bethel AME Church: Buffalo, New York – 1831-1991, author Monroe Fordham devotes but a single paragraph to what must have been a traumatic event in the life of this congregation. Fordham does not elaborate on the reasons for the dissidents’ break with the mother church. It is unlikely that members of the Vine Street congregation would want to memorialize the cause of the walkout. The silence on the subject may also communicate the depth of the enmity resulting from the schism. In any event, the protestors moved quickly to establish another church. The exiting members cemented their departure, ensuring that their withdrawal would be final, by also severing ties with the African Methodist Episcopal denomination.

Even before a new pastor was in place, the “rebel” group established an affiliation with the Presbytery of Buffalo. This was hardly surprising, since this group had experienced church-building without an ecumenical leader when Vine Street AME was instituted.  The new congregation was accepted into the Presbytery of Buffalo in March 1850, during a service that included the ordination of three “elders,” Messrs. Henry Moxley, Sands and Johnson.  At least 27 worshipers, four of whom were baptized at this service, formed the nucleus of the congregation. The new church was prominently featured in a newspaper article citing it as the “third church formed for colored people in the city.”

Rev. Jacob A. Prime, the minister chosen to lead this fledgling congregation, came to Buffalo from New Haven, CT. Prime was born around 1810 in Kinderhook, near Albany.  He completed religious programs at several Connecticut seminaries before pastoring his first congregation in 1849.  In 1851, Prime was pastoring the Fifth Congregation in New Haven. East Presbyterian welcomed him as its first pastor in December of that year.  His installation was an ornate and celebratory service held in the First Presbyterian Church on December 21, 1851.  It was an historic event that further legitimized the third church founded by African American Buffalonians and the first “colored” church in the Presbytery of Buffalo. The sanctuary was crowded with well-wishers, including members of the First Presbyterian.

Initially, East Presbyterian held services in several rented spaces.  In 1853, they acquired property on Elm Street, between North and South Division streets, to build a dedicated edifice.   The prominent architectural firm of C. N. Otis, which had designed a number of the Presbytery’s houses of worship, was engaged to design a brick structure. The cornerstone was set in 1854; within two years, they were able to hold services in the basement of the building.  After nearly four years, at a cost of $7,000, the 300-seat capacity sanctuary was ready for full occupancy. The congregation began to hold services in the main room of the building in 1857.  A media account of the church opening noted:

(To) the Rev. Mr. Prime, the pastor, however, the society is indebted for the
perseverance and tact necessary to the accomplishment of the great task of building the church.

It was also reported that the church had retired its debt and that the membership numbered 100. By 1858, the congregation was able to take full possession of the building.

During his ministry, Prime was certainly the public face of East Presbyterian.  He oversaw the building of the new structure, expansion of the membership, fundraising endeavors to sustain and grow the church and the formation of a respected, recognized and influential congregation in the city.  Newspaper articles often cited him alone for the progress made in advancing the work of the church.  For all the accolades Prime received for his work on the behalf of the church, there were likely stressors that worked against the progress and permanency of East Presbyterian.  Although there is nothing in the record to indicate that fractures had taken place in the congregation or with the pastor, it appears that East Presbyterian experienced tremendous financial stress, despite the claim that the new building was debt-free.

On September 30, 1858, the trustees posted a public notice that announced the removal of Prime as the “official agent and collector for East Presbyterian Church” and the appointment of Rev. E. J. Adams as the pastor.  However, the trustees quickly rethought their decision and, on November 22, re-appointed Prime in those roles to assist Adams, adding, “We commend him and the cause which he represents.”  Before the end of 1858, Prime tenured his resignation.  His departure appears to have been amicable.  Apparently, the church continued to experience serious financial problems and, two years later, hired a professional fundraiser to solicit funds “to aid them in paying off a pressing debt due from the church.”

The precarious nature of East Presbyterian’s fiscal condition is not surprising when examining its counterparts during the 1850s.  From time to time, each of these churches experienced financial hardships, membership strife and leadership vacancies that threatened the viability of their organizations.  During the same period, Vine Street AME Church experienced unsettled times, in part related to the departure of the East Presbyterian group. Several changes in leadership during that decade undoubtedly contributed to the church’s instability as well.

The Michigan Street Baptist Church fared somewhat better.  After they got “gold rush fever,” an influential group of members, many belonging to Peyton Harris’ family, left the city in 1848 to relocate to California.  The congregation worked hard to fill the void and, by 1851, Michigan Street’s membership was at a new high of 93.  Yet, the church was struggling to find money to purchase materials to complete their building’s principal meeting space.

It is significant to note that, according to the 1850 Census, Buffalo’s Black population numbered 675. A decade later, the population had only increased by 134 individuals, bringing the total of African American residents to 809.  In effect, the three churches were vying for a small pool of potential members, many of whom were poor and transitory.

The Buffalo City Directory confirms the persistence of church leaders to maintain East Presbyterian following Prime’s departure.  The 1859 and 1860 editions listed Rev. E. J. Adams as the new pastor.  However, his tenure was brief and only the trustees were named in the 1861 directory.  Among this group were George Weir Jr., John Simpson, N. D. Thompson and Henry Moxley.  These men were stalwart, longstanding supporters who remained with East Presbyterian throughout its struggle as they worked to sustain a church that appeared destined to close.

In fact, there was a remarkable show of solidarity on the part of the church’s leadership as they endeavored to preserve their ability to worship together.  Almost every trustee of East Presbyterian worked with the Episcopal Diocese of Buffalo to form St. Philip’s Protestant Episcopal Church.   However, as with the events that precipitated the split with Vine Street AME, the leaders of East Presbyterian did not leave records that explained specific causes for the demise of the congregation or what contributed to the affiliation with the Episcopal Diocese.

It took five years for the founding officers and rector at St. Philip’s, Rev. Orlando Witherspoon, to work through legal and canonical requirements before the congregation was fully consecrated as a parish in the diocese.  However, the lay leaders of the new entity did not wait for all the legal and diocesan obligations to be resolved before organizing as an Episcopal parish.  The gap years from 1861 to 1866 are chronicled in parish ledgers and document an active congregation.  These records are still preserved in the St. Philip’s archives.   On the inside cover of one journal, a handwritten entry headed “History” established May 30, 1861, as the date that a group of “Nineteen heads of families & seven individuals” (who) “met under the auspices of St. Philip’s Protestant Episcopal Church for the first time.” The John Simpson, Henry Moxley and Nimrod Thompson families were among the first members recorded on that list.

George Weir Jr., however, was missing from this founding body. Whatever the cause for his absence, he returned within a few months to join the leadership of the church in roles reminiscent of his earlier involvement.  He was elected to the vestry in February 1862 and then to the position of secretary in May, a position he held until his untimely death at the age of 45 on March 24, 1865.  Thus was cut short the life of a leader who made a significant impact on the creation of Buffalo’s Black community.   

The historical note contained in one of the ledgers, acknowledging the early organization of St. Philip’s, expressed gratitude to the congregation’s early ministers.  Witherspoon is the first name on the list.  St. Philip’s welcomed its first African American pastor, Rev. Samuel V. Berry, in 1865.    He came to Buffalo from New Haven, CT, and had served at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, the third African American Episcopal Church in the nation.

In 1866, a newspaper article triumphantly announced a “Change in Incorporation.”  St. Philip’s Protestant Episcopal Church had been “legally and canonically organized and incorporated under the rectorship of the Rev. S. V. Berry, as a regular parish of the Protestant Episcopal Church of the city of Buffalo.” Another entry inscribed on the inside cover of a St. Philip’s ledger confirms the exact date: “November 14, date of incorporation.  The church was formerly the East Presbyterian Church of Buffalo.”    The governing body of this new congregation, the first in the Buffalo Diocese for African Americans, was composed of several familiar names:  Henry Moxley, N. D. Thompson, John Simpson, Abram Young, George Armstrong, William T. Hines, Albert D. Thompson and Lewis M. Blount.

The announcement of the “change in incorporation” included Witherspoon, verifying that he was one of the important players in the metamorphosis of East Presbyterian to St. Philip’s.  He was credited with organizing the parish and securing funding to liquidate the mortgage on the Elm Street property.  Witherspoon held the deed to the property for several years while the congregation worked to secure finances to retire the debt.  He also convinced the rectors of Trinity Episcopal and St. Paul’s Episcopal churches, along with St. John’s, to contribute money to pay the salary of the new rector.  The narrative of Witherspoon and his role as the founding rector adds another intriguing twist to the story of the origins of Buffalo’s first Black Episcopal church. 

Rev. Witherspoon was the rector of Buffalo’s St. John’s Episcopal Church when he took on St. Philip’s pulpit.  A Rochester native, he was invited to preach at St. John’s Episcopal during a visit to Buffalo in 1859.  Although a young man, just 22 years old, Witherspoon was an eloquent speaker and a commanding figure.    He made such a favorable impression on the parishioners of St. John’s that he was called to the pastorate shortly thereafter and began his tenure on May 20, 1860.  A newspaper reported, “Mr. Witherspoon is quite a young man, and it is seldom indeed a preacher of his years meets so much success in the outset of ministerial life.  He has received and accepted a call to one of the largest parishes in this Diocese where the labors will be arduous and the difficulties many but there is little doubt that he will be found the right man for the right place.”

Capable and progressive, Witherspoon took on the challenge of mentoring the founders of the seventh African American Episcopal parish established in the country while he simultaneously ministered to his parishioners at St. John’s.  One can only imagine the juggling he had to do to maintain two congregations that were so culturally different!

His significant contributions to the congregation notwithstanding, the minutes of August and September 1865 suggest there was friction between Witherspoon and members of the congregation over the former’s holding of the church’s Elm Street mortgage. Following consultation with Rev. Dr. William Shelton, rector of St. Paul’s Cathedral, regarding the church’s legal and ecumenical status, the vestry voted to offer the pulpit to Rev. Berry, who proved to be an able leader. He led St. Philip’s through the next stage of its development and his impact is acknowledged to this day. Berry is credited with maintaining an early organization that promoted the Episcopal Church among African Americans and formed the foundation for the current national group, Urban Black Episcopalians.

East Presbyterian’s founders boldly set out to establish the third house of worship for Buffalo’s African American community.  Eventually, they founded the fourth congregation as well.  They were intelligent, committed, devout men, who worked to realize their vision for a new religious entity and to maintain a spiritual home where they could worship together.  This was also a motivating factor in their determination to create St. Philip’s.  Undoubtedly, their experiences with Vine Street AME and East Presbyterian buttressed this goal.

As they endeavored to build a new congregation and to move, seamlessly, to the Episcopal denomination, they also brought with them the unique culture, interpersonal dynamics, problems and promise of East Presbyterian.  However, with the transition to St. Philip’s Episcopal Church fully accomplished in 1866, memories and historical references to Buffalo’s third African American religious institution faded, were forgotten or suppressed.

Typically, the history of East Presbyterian Church has been truncated, confined to “humble” beginnings in the basement of an Elm Street building.  However, East Presbyterian was a foundational institution that deserves a place in the region’s history of African American community building.