Dates

• Existence: 1832 July 14-Present Day

Biography

First Baptist Church of Smithfield, NC, is located at the corner of Fourth and Johnston Streets and has a long, rich history.

The church was first organized on July 14, 1832, and for the first three years, services were held in the Smithfield Academy building, which stood on First Street beside the present site of the Primitive Baptist Church. Rev. James Dennis was the first minister, and he remained with the church for 17 years. The first church building was erected around 1835 by the Baptists of Smithfield on the present-day site of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church. In 1899, however, the congregation purchased a new site at the corner of Fourth and Johnston Streets. Construction of a new church began in April, 1902, and services began in the new building in 1903. Unfortunately, on December 22, 1942, a fire burned the structure to the ground, and for more than seven years, the congregation worshipped in temporary quarters.

In March, 1949, the church constructed a new building, which is the one they now occupy, and the first service was held there on Easter Sunday, 1950.

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