By Alex Glaze
Trueman Pratt founded Orchard Street Church with prayer meetings in 1825. He was also a trustee and layman in the church.
In 1837, the church was built, and today, that building stands as the oldest standing structure built by slaves and freed African-Americans in Baltimore.
For nearly two centuries, Orchard Street Church has been a beacon of freedom in Baltimore.
It was also a stop on the Underground Railroad.
“Over the years, it has served, as you can imagine, as a spiritual center for African-Americans to gather and plan and try to strengthen themselves and encourage themselves to meet the challenges of American democracy in Baltimore,” said David Miller from the Orchard Street Church Building committee.
There have been 200 years of blood, sweat and effort to maintain this church that now stands as a memorial to all of that effort.
“It stands as significance of how the struggle of Baltimore, in particular its African-American community, has survived and continues to thrive,” Miller said. “This is an anchor for the community.”
Church services are no longer held in the building, but Orchard Street Church is now home to the offices of the Greater Baltimore Urban League – an organization that works to increase equal opportunities for minorities in Baltimore.
As you can imagine, a lot of restoration has taken place over the years to preserve Orchard Street Church.
The church recently received two grants for $500,000 to help heating and ventilation systems, fire systems and some of the structure decay.
Miller estimates that more than $1 million will be needed to restore Orchard Street Church back to its original prominence.
