A Guide to the Sixth Mount Zion Baptist Church records, 1902-2012 M 57 A Collection in Special Collections and Archives, James Branch Cabell Library, Collection number M 296
The collection is open for use without restrictions.
Preferred Citation
Box/folder, Sixth Mount Zion Baptist Church records, M 57, Special Collections and Archives, James Branch Cabell Library,
Virginia Commonwealth University
The Sixth Mount Zion Baptist Church was founded by Reverend John Jasper on September 3, 1867 and was the first church in Richmond
organized by an African American. The congregation originally met in an abandoned horse stable on Brown's Island in the James
River. In 1869, the congregation purchased land on Duval Street located in what is now Jackson Ward. The core of the present
church building was erected in 1885 by George Boyd. The 1925 remodeling of the church in the Gothic Revival style was done
by architect Charles T. Russell and builder I. Lincoln Bailey. The church was listed on the National Register of Historic
Places in 1996.
Source: Virginia Department of Historic Resources, National Register of Historic Places registration form, Sixth Mount Zion
Baptist Church, 1996.
The collection consists of an assortment of articles, programs, images, brochures, clippings, and other materials concerning
the church, its pastors, and Jackson Ward. Many of the items in the collection are photocopies of the originals, but there
are some original materials, such as booklets and programs from various church anniversary celebrations. There are also materials
relating to the 19th century, such as John Jasper's sermons, but since these materials are photocopies from secondary sources
the date range of the records reflect only the dates of original materials in the collection.