{"id":27,"featured":0,"modified":"2025-06-21 18:54:37","latitude":40.446286,"longitude":-79.97574,"title":"Central Baptist Church","address":"2200 Wylie Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15219","thumbnail":"https:\/\/hillhistory.org\/files\/square_thumbnails\/b9305e405697c49d6c1897b469e6afe0.jpg","creator":["Nolan Cowan"],"description":"Throughout the 111 years that Central Baptist Church has stood at 2200 Wylie Avenue, it has offered the residents of the Hill District a strong Black religious presence in the neighborhood which has uplifted the whole community. Though the church has had its struggles over the decades, the devoted leaders which have pastored it have continually made Central Baptist into a church body which serves the Hill both socially and spiritually.
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Difficult Beginnings<\/span><\/h3>\r\n
Formed in 1891, Central Baptist purchased its building on the corner of Kirkpatrick and Wylie in 1912, and has stayed there ever since. The church\u2019s first years were uneventful until it began experiencing severe financial difficulties during the tenure of its sixth pastor, Dr. Rev. C.A. Ward, likely due to the economic hardships brought to the Hill by the Great Depression. The situation was made even worse when the church building caught fire from unknown causes in 1934, which required significant efforts to rebuild. According to one Courier article, the church\u2019s debts were so large in the late thirties that they were \u201c\u2018choking\u2019 the life and spirit\u201d from its congregation. Though Rev. Ward attempted to resign, the church board decided against it, and Central Baptist did not receive a new pastor until the reverend passed away in 1937.

His successor, Rev. Cornell E. Talley, was one of the most beloved pastors the church ever had. A relatively young man for his trade at just 31 years old, Talley arrived from Indianapolis with his wife and eight month old son, and preached his first sermon at Central Baptist in 1938. Within just three years, he tripled the church\u2019s attendance from 532 regular members to 1,500, and he not only managed to pay off all of Central Baptist\u2019s debts, but increased the church\u2019s savings to $5,000.

This kind of growth was unheard of for the church previously, but the church\u2019s rocky history seemed not to bother Rev. Talley. He was known for his motto, \u201cForgetting those things which were behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before.\u201d Under his leadership this became the guiding vision behind Central Baptist, inspiring their participation in the struggle for Black freedoms.
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Fighting for Rights<\/span><\/h3>\r\n
The church at this time took an active role in the civil rights movement, hosting several NAACP rallies in support of activists in the South and at home. They even hosted NAACP chief counsel Thurgood Marshall in 1950, just a few years before his landmark victory in Brown v. Board<\/em> and his historic tenure as the first African American Supreme Court Justice.

Dr. Martin Luther King came to visit on several occasions, leading services of worship at the church as well as delivering his \u201cA Knock at Midnight\u201d speech there. When Rev. Talley took a position with another church in 1961, Dr. King was even considered as a candidate in the church\u2019s search for a new pastor.

Talley's resignation was vigorously protested by many of the congregation\u2019s members, a testament to how much he was cherished as the pastor there. He was succeeded by Dr. Isaac Green, who led Central Baptist from 1963 to 1994, and saw the church through endeavors like their first televised services and the creation of the Central Baptist Academy. The church\u2019s current pastor, Rev. Victor Grigsby, has continued Central Baptist\u2019s legacy of community service and activism, even holding a rally to support former President Barack Obama\u2019s campaign in 2008.","sponsor":"","subtitle":"Faith and Activism in the Hill","accessinfo":"","lede":"","website":"https:\/\/www.cbcpgh.org<\/a>","related_resources":["\u201cAbout CBC | Central Baptist Church PGH.\u201d Accessed January 11, 2024. <\/span>https:\/\/www.cbcpgh.org\/about-us\/<\/span><\/a>.<\/span>

\u201cAt Central Baptist Church: Western District Women\u2019s Regional Institute to Weigh \u2018Wealth, Want\u2019 - ProQuest Historical Newspapers: Black Newspaper Collection - ProQuest.\u201d Accessed January 11, 2024. <\/span>https:\/\/www.proquest.com\/hnpblacknewscoll\/pagepdf\/202478662\/Record\/3539F006301342D4PQ\/14?accountid=10977&sourcetype=Historical%20Newspapers<\/span><\/a>.<\/span>

\u201cCENTRAL BAPTIST CHURCH INFLUENCE FELT BY CITY: SHOWS REMARKABLE GROWTH, PROGRESS \u2018Debt Free\u2019 and With Large Bank Balance, Central Baptist Church Celebrates--Youthful Pastor Shows City Something in Three Years CENTRAL BAPTIST FETES ITS YOUTHFUL PASTOR AND WIFE - ProQuest Historical Newspapers: Black Newspaper Collection - ProQuest.\u201d Accessed January 11, 2024. <\/span>https:\/\/www.proquest.com\/hnpblacknewscoll\/docview\/202104778\/A4853F92C492412CPQ\/1?accountid=10977&sourcetype=Historical%20Newspapers<\/span><\/a>.<\/span>

\u201cCentral Baptist Church Plays Host: NAACP Youth Rally Backs Dixie \u2018Sit-In\u2019 War - ProQuest Historical Newspapers: Black Newspaper Collection - ProQuest.\u201d Accessed January 11, 2024. <\/span>https:\/\/www.proquest.com\/hnpblacknewscoll\/pagepdf\/202397585\/Record\/3539F006301342D4PQ\/12?accountid=10977&sourcetype=Historical%20Newspapers<\/span><\/a>.<\/span>

\u201cCentral Women Fight for Talley: Over 400 Sign Legal Petition Determined Women of Central Baptist Fighting-to-the-Last for Rev. Talley - ProQuest Historical Newspapers: Black Newspaper Collection - ProQuest.\u201d Accessed January 11, 2024. <\/span>https:\/\/www.proquest.com\/hnpblacknewscoll\/pagepdf\/202454602\/Record\/3539F006301342D4PQ\/11?accountid=10977&sourcetype=Historical%20Newspapers<\/span><\/a>.<\/span>

\u201cCENTRAL\u2019S PASTOR UNDER FIRE: TRIES TO RESIGN; CHURCH OPPOSED - ProQuest Historical Newspapers: Black Newspaper Collection - ProQuest.\u201d Accessed January 11, 2024. <\/span>https:\/\/www.proquest.com\/hnpblacknewscoll\/docview\/201947040\/C7D85EDC29BC40FBPQ\/1?accountid=10977&sourcetype=Historical%20Newspapers<\/span><\/a>.<\/span>

\u201c\u2018COLLEGE SHOWER\u2019 AT CENTRAL BAPTIST TO BENEFIT STUDENTS - ProQuest Historical Newspapers: Black Newspaper Collection - ProQuest.\u201d Accessed January 11, 2024. <\/span>https:\/\/www.proquest.com\/hnpblacknewscoll\/docview\/202063429\/A4853F92C492412CPQ\/43?accountid=10977&sourcetype=Historical%20Newspapers<\/span><\/a>.<\/span>

Dickerson, Dennis C. \u201cThe Black Church in Industrializing Western Pennsylvania, 1870-1950.\u201d <\/span>Western Pennsylvania History: 1918 - 2022<\/span><\/i>, October 1, 1981, 329\u201344. <\/span>https:\/\/journals.psu.edu\/wph\/article\/view\/3730<\/span><\/a>.<\/span>

\u201cNAACP Bringing Atty. Thurgood Marshall Here: Meeting Slated for Central Baptist on Sunday, April 23: Will Open 1950 Campaign - ProQuest Historical Newspapers: Black Newspaper Collection - ProQuest.\u201d Accessed January 11, 2024. <\/span>https:\/\/www.proquest.com\/hnpblacknewscoll\/docview\/202243033\/A4853F92C492412CPQ\/4?accountid=10977&sourcetype=Historical%20Newspapers<\/span><\/a>.<\/span>

\u201cOutline, \u2018Race Relations Sunday,\u2019 Coordinating ...\u201d Accessed January 11, 2024. <\/span>https:\/\/historicpittsburgh.org\/islandora\/object\/pitt%3A31735073065504\/viewer#page\/6\/mode\/2up<\/span><\/a>.<\/span>

\u201cPROBE CENTRAL CHURCH FIRE: FIREBUG THEORY PROBED; DAMAGE IS SET AT $7,000 HOW FLAMES RAZED INTERIOR OF HILL CHURCH - ProQuest Historical Newspapers: Black Newspaper Collection - ProQuest.\u201d Accessed January 11, 2024. <\/span>https:\/\/www.proquest.com\/hnpblacknewscoll\/docview\/202002102\/C7D85EDC29BC40FBPQ\/3?accountid=10977&sourcetype=Historical%20Newspapers<\/span><\/a>.<\/span>

\u201cWill Dr. M. L. King Jr. Succeed Rev. Talley at Central Baptist?: Rev. Talley Resigns Dr. Martin L. King Jr. May Lead Central Baptist Church - ProQuest Historical Newspapers: Black Newspaper Collection - ProQuest.\u201d Accessed January 11, 2024. <\/span>https:\/\/www.proquest.com\/hnpblacknewscoll\/docview\/202409367\/3539F006301342D4PQ\/2?accountid=10977&sourcetype=Historical%20Newspapers<\/span><\/a>.<\/span>"],"files":{"https:\/\/hillhistory.org\/files\/fullsize\/b9305e405697c49d6c1897b469e6afe0.jpg":{"id":164,"mime-type":"image\/jpeg","title":"Congregation of Central Baptist","thumbnail":"https:\/\/hillhistory.org\/files\/square_thumbnails\/b9305e405697c49d6c1897b469e6afe0.jpg","description":"The congregation of the Central Baptist Church stands during a service. | Charles "Teenie" Harris Collection, Carnegie Museum of Art | Charles "Teenie" Harris"},"https:\/\/hillhistory.org\/files\/fullsize\/c58291bdc7401e27a0fedc04f0b73044.jpg":{"id":165,"mime-type":"image\/jpeg","title":"Construction of Central Baptist","thumbnail":"https:\/\/hillhistory.org\/files\/square_thumbnails\/c58291bdc7401e27a0fedc04f0b73044.jpg","description":"Workers on the site of the future Central Baptist Church, working on exterior construction. | Charles "Teenie" Harris Collection, Carnegie Museum of Art | Charles "Teenie" Harris"},"https:\/\/hillhistory.org\/files\/fullsize\/ba033f590a68a6914f994f852867fc56.jpg":{"id":166,"mime-type":"image\/jpeg","title":"Reverend Cornell Talley","thumbnail":"https:\/\/hillhistory.org\/files\/square_thumbnails\/ba033f590a68a6914f994f852867fc56.jpg","description":"A portrait of Reverend Cornell Talley, who served Central Baptist from 1938 to 1961. | Charles "Teenie" Harris Collection, Carnegie Museum of Art | Charles "Teenie" Harris"},"https:\/\/hillhistory.org\/files\/fullsize\/2637e7811a34363881c07ebeade221ba.jpg":{"id":167,"mime-type":"image\/jpeg","title":"Reverend Cornell Talley and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.","thumbnail":"https:\/\/hillhistory.org\/files\/square_thumbnails\/2637e7811a34363881c07ebeade221ba.jpg","description":"Rev. Talley shakes hands with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. at one of Central Baptist's pulpits. | Charles "Teenie" Harris Collection, Carnegie Museum of Art | Charles "Teenie" Harris"}}}