Friendship Baptist Church

Front inscription

This is one of the oldest historically Black churches in Aiken. It was organized in 1866 by formerly enslaved members of Aiken First Baptist Church. They were led by their first pastor, Rev. John G. Phillips, who was assisted by Rev. Lucius Cuthbert of First Baptist Church. Tradition holds that worshippers first met under a brush arbor before moving into a wooden structure at this site, deeded to them in 1867.

Reverse inscription

Early members conducted baptisms at a pool near Coker Spring (1 mi. SW). The first church building burned in 1893. It was replaced by the current Romanesque Revival building, designed by Aiken architect Siberia Ott and built in 1893-94. Friendship Baptist Church regularly hosted meetings and other events during the civil rights movement. Other church facilities include an Activity Building (1939, 1964) and parsonage (1920).