Manly Street Christian Church (now Macedonia Church)
In 1867, the American Missionary Association (AMA) met with Black residents in a small one room building on South Street near Manly, where they helped establish the Freedmen’s School. This early partnership laid the foundation for what would become First Congregational Church.
The church soon grew into a beacon of hope for the Fourth Ward community. In 1877, Reverend George S. Smith became its first Black pastor. Nearly a century later, in 1976, urban renewal forced the congregation to relocate, and the original church was demolished. Many treasured features such as the stained-glass windows, the pipe organ, curved pews, and pulpit furniture were carefully moved to the new building on Creech Road. The congregation held its first service there on July 3, 1977, continuing a legacy of faith and resilience.
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