Helena - Centennial Baptist Church

The Centennial Baptist Church, or what remains of it, was built in the historic city of Helena in 1905. The Gothic Revival church was the home base of Reverend Dr. Elias Camp Morris, who was the president of the National Baptist Convention. That group became the largest Black organization in the country, and the Rev. Dr. Morris became "one of the most influential persons in the history of African-American religion in the country" at the time. The church was designed by Henry James Price, and it is the only known example in Arkansas of a Black church designed by a Black architect.

The church was so significant that was deemed a National Historic Landmark. There are only 17 National Historic Landmarks in Arkansas, and the church is included with other places like Bathhouse Row, the Old State House and Little Rock Central High. This is a view of the church, taken during a visit to Helena in 2017:



The last church service was held in 1998, and the decades after saw the building suffer serious deterioration. It sat empty, with bricks falling from the facade and pigeons making nests among the pews. In 2020, a massive storm hit Helena. Straight-line winds hit the church, shaving off the front wall and ripping off the roof. This is a view of the church, taken during a visit to Helena a few weeks ago:





The church is surrounded by a high fence, so it was hard to get pictures. But I lifted the camera overhead and tried my best. Remarkably, several of the brick towers are still standing. They have been joined by a spreading congregation of vines, which cover parts of the ruins like a shroud.









There have been vague mentions in a few news articles about trying to preserve, or perhaps rebuild the church. Although the biggest question would be who would pay for it. Despite the state sitting on a massive billion dollar surplus, and pretending to care about heritage and history (at least when it comes to confederate statues), the Centennial Baptist Church seems to have been forgotten. I do hope that something can be done to save the church, it and the city of Helena deserve it.