National and State Registers of Historic Places
Second Baptist Church
831 Yuma Street
Manhattan (Riley County)
Listed in National Register
May 30, 2012
Architect: Winter, H. B.
Category: religious facility
Thematic Nomination: African American Resources in Manhattan, KS
The Second Baptist Church building is significant for its role in the development of the African American community in Manhattan. It was not only a center for religious worship, but served the greater community by hosting education, social and charitable activities. The original congregation was organized in 1880, a year after the influx of African American refugees arrived in Manhattan as part of the Great Exodus from former Southern slave states. As the congregation grew in size and prominence, its members built this substantial brick building in 1917, replacing the earlier small frame building. It is located on a prominent corner at the intersection of Ninth and Yuma, across from Douglass School and the black U.S.O. Building - both significant community organizations in the historic African American neighborhood.
