4.Historic Pleasant Green Baptist Church
540 West Maxwell
Referred to as the "oldest Baptist church west of the Allegheny Mountains," the roots of Pleasant Green were planted in 1790--the year that the first census of the United States was taken. The slave, "Old Captain," Peter Duerett, is credited with having founded the first African Baptist Church in Lexington. In 1822, the land was conveyed to slaves. The present church at West Maxwell changed its name to "Pleasant Green" in 1829. The landmark building was completed following the stock market crash that launched the beginning of the Great Depression.
Photo courtesy of
Lexington Convention and Visitors Bureau
1. Main Street Baptist Church, 582 West Main Street
2. "Forgotten Pioneers," A doctor's office that was located at 118 North Broadway
3. Cheapside
4. Historic Pleasant Green, 540 West Maxwell Street
5. Baptism scene, between Bolivar and Scott Streets
6. Home of Isaac Murphy, Eastern Street
7. St. Paul AME Church, 251-253 North Upper Street
8. Old First Baptist site, corner of Short and DeWeese
9. Polk-Dalton Infirmary, 148 DeWeese
10. East Second Street Christian Church, 146 Constitution Street
Click on each number to learn more about these 10 sites.
Click here to the print the African American Heritage Trail in pdf format. (4 pages)
Doris Wilkinson, Retired
Department of Sociology
University of Kentucky
Lexington, Kentucky 40506-0027
Click here for selected references on Lexington's African American Heritage.
