The Vancouver Avenue First Baptist Church stands on the southeast corner of N. Vancouver Ave. and Fargo Street. It was originally built in 1909 for the Central Methodist Episcopal Church. Vancouver Avenue (established in 1944) purchased the building in 1951 and inhabits it still. The church was renovated and enlarged in 1957-1958.
Glass windows, a small balcony, and a piano at Trinity Lutheran Church. The top windows feature a lamb, while a robed figure can be seen in the bottom. The building later became the Morning Star Baptist Church, which burned down in 2007 (negative 1 of 8).
Unidentified members of the congregation standing in front of the east side of the Bethel AME (African Methodist Episcopal) Church. The Bethel AME Church once stood on the corner of N. Larrabee Ave. and N. McMillen Street. It was torn down in the 1950s when the city built the Memorial Coliseum.
Collection includes: Correspondence, sermons, awards and certificates, files from his activity in the Urban League of Portland and other civil and philanthropic associations, minutes of meetings for Men's Club of St. Philip the Deacon Episcopal Church, missionaries' quarterly reports, etc.
The program for the Vancouver Avenue First Baptist Church annual observance of the Annual Women's Day (36th) was handed out to congregants on May 20, 1990.
The Vancouver Avenue Baptist Church began as the First Baptist Church of Burton Homes, a federal wartime housing project managed by the Vancouver Housing Authority (Washington state). Most of the people in this 1945 photo of an early service were employees of the Kaiser Shipyards. The church moved to the Bagley Downs housing project later that year, then to Vanport City in 1946, and finally to the Albina neighborhood in Portland after Vanport was flooded in 1948. The current building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places for its significance to the history of civil rights in Oregon.
The collection covers various aspects of the history of the church and of its leader, Rev. O.B. Williams, and his wife Willa Jackson Williams. It includes a variety of photographs, with a large percentage of the images relating to the various church groups, including choirs, youth groups, and ushers. A large collection of members’ memorial cards, the pastoral anniversaries of Rev. Williams, some bibles and hymnals (many annotated by Rev. Williams, including two dated 1867 and 1890), church financial records and meeting minutes, and a collection of materials from Dr. Martin Luther King’s 1961 visit are included. A small collection of the Williams’ personal photographs and ephemera can also be found in collection.
Vancouver Avenue First Baptist Church (Portland, Or.)
Photograph showing the steeple of the First Presbyterian Church at 11th and Alder streets (now Southwest 11th Avenue and Southwest Alder Street) in Portland on Saturday, July 17, 1920, after it was damaged by lightning. The Oregon Journal published a related photograph, image No. 376G0315, and a story about the damage on the front page of Its July 17 city edition. The story had the headline “Steeple Is Shattered By Electric Bolt” and the subheading “Patrolman C. C. Martin, Seeking Shelter From Storm, Knocked Senseless When Shock Hits Edifice; Rain Puts Out Fire.”
Photograph showing First Presbyterian Church at 11th and Alder streets (now Southwest 11th Avenue and Southwest Alder Street) in Portland on Saturday, July 17, 1920, after lightning damaged the steeple. A cropped version of this photograph was published on the front page of the Oregon Journal’s July 17 city edition under the headline “Bolt Strikes.” The photograph had the following caption: “Steeple of First Presbyterian church, Eleventh and Alder streets, showing where lightning ripped slate off the roof in a jagged streak. Below, the street is roped off to prevent injury to pedestrians.” The photograph accompanied a story with the headline “Steeple Is Shattered by Electric Bolt” and the subheading “Patrolman C. C. Martin, Seeking Shelter From Storm, Knocked Senseless When Shock Hits Edifice; Rain Puts Out Fire.” See related image No. 376G0316.
Photograph showing the exterior of the First Presbyterian Church’s brick hall at 13th and Alder streets (now Southwest 13th Avenue and Southwest Alder Street). The building was completed in September 1912. The text “Presbyterian church house” is written on the negative sleeve.
Photograph showing the exterior of Westminster Presbyterian Church in Portland, viewed from the intersection of East Seventeenth Street North and Schuyler Street (now Northeast Seventeenth Avenue and Northeast Schuyler Street).
Photograph showing the exterior of St. Agatha Catholic Church at East Fifteenth and Nehalem streets (now Southeast 15th Avenue and Southeast Nehalem Street) in Portland. A cropped version of either this photograph or image No. 376G0174, which is nearly identical, was published on Page 5 of the Oregon Journal city edition on Saturday, October 9, 1920, under the headline “St. Agathas Church In Sellwood Dedicated.” The photograph had the following caption: “St. Agathas Catholic church, corner Fifteenth and Nehalem streets, Sellwood, which was dedicated Sunday morning with impressive ceremonies.” The photograph accompanied a story headlined “Pontifical Mass Blesses Church.” Image note: Scratch at bottom of negative.
Photograph showing the exterior of St. Agatha Catholic Church at East Fifteenth and Nehalem streets (now Southeast 15th Avenue and Southeast Nehalem Street) in Portland. A cropped version of either this photograph or image No. 376G0175, which is nearly identical, was published on Page 5 of the Oregon Journal city edition on Saturday, October 9, 1920, under the headline “St. Agathas Church In Sellwood Dedicated.” The photograph had the following caption: “St. Agathas Catholic church, corner Fifteenth and Nehalem streets, Sellwood, which was dedicated Sunday morning with impressive ceremonies.” The photograph accompanied a story headlined “Pontifical Mass Blesses Church.” Image note: Scratch at bottom of negative.
Photograph showing St. David’s Parish House, a wooden church with a spire. The church was on East Morrison Street (now Southeast Morrison Street) in Portland, just east of the intersection with 12th Street (now Southeast 12th Avenue).
Photograph, taken from the street, showing St. David’s Episcopal Church, at SE 12th Ave and Belmont St. in Portland. The building has a gabled roof; a large, round, ornamental window; and arched windows and entryways.
Photograph, taken from the street, showing St. David’s Episcopal Church at SE 12th Ave and Belmont St. in Portland. It has a gabled roof; a large, round, ornamental window; and arched windows and entryways.
Photograph showing the entrance to First Baptist Church in Portland, located at 12th and Taylor streets (now Southwest 12th Avenue and Southwest Taylor Street). The entryway consists of a large central arch with pillars, flanked by two smaller arches.
Photograph, possibly from a copy negative, showing First Presbyterian Church at 3rd and Washington in Portland. At the front of a church is a three-story square tower. Visible in the upper left corner is the handwritten text “First Presbyterian Church. / N. W. cor. 3rd & Washington sts.” Below that is a date that could be either “July, 1881” or “July, 1887.” Image note: Light leak on negative.
Photograph, taken from the side, showing the entrance to the First Unitarian Church at Southwest 12th Avenue and Southwest Salmon Street in Portland. The text “Unitarian Church” is written on the negative and is partially visible in the lower right corner of the image. Also see related image Nos. 372A1260 and 372A1261.
Photograph showing the First Unitarian Church at Southwest 12th Avenue and Southwest Salmon Street in Portland. Cars are parked on the street outside the church. The photograph was taken from Southwest 12th Avenue and the view is to the north. The text “Unitarian Church” is written on the negative and is partially visible in the lower right corner of the image. Also see related image Nos. 372A1260 and 372A1262.
Photograph, taken from the side, showing the entrance to the First Unitarian Church at Southwest 12th Avenue and Southwest Salmon Street in Portland. The text “Unitarian Church” is written on the negative and is partially visible in the lower right corner of the image. Also see related image Nos. 372A1261 and 372A1262.
Photograph showing the exterior of Trinity Episcopal Church (now Trinity Episcopal Cathedral) at Northwest 19th Avenue and Northwest Everett Street in Portland.
Photograph showing the front exterior of St. Andrew Catholic Church at Northeast Ninth Avenue and Northeast Alberta Street in Portland. The photograph shows the steps leading to the entrance, the arched doors, and the stained glass windows above the doors.
Photograph, taken from across the street, showing the Woodstock Community Church at Southeast 44th Avenue and Southeast Woodstock Boulevard in Portland. A pencil mark is written on the negative and is visible in the upper left corner of the image.