Savannah Churches

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Second African Baptist Church

Second African Baptist Church

Second African Baptist Church

123 Houston Street (Near Greene Square)
Savannah, GA  31401
(912) 233-6163

Hours: Open to the public
Monday - Friday: 10:00a - 3:00p

Georgia's first native African-American religious leader and former slave, Andrew Bryan, founded the Second Colored Baptist Church in 1802, with 26 members. In 1823, the church was renamed the Second African Baptist Church.

The Second African Baptist Church was built in 1925 and it replaced a wood and stone building which was built by the African-American Baptists. Destroyed by fire, the church was completely rebuilt and contains the original pulpit, prayer benches and choir chairs.

In 1864, from the steps of the wooden church, Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton and General William T. Sherman read the Emancipation Proclamation to Savannah's citizens and promised the newly freed slaves "40 acres and a mule." In 1963 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. preached his "I Have a Dream" sermon at the church.

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Temple Mickve Israel

Temple Mickve Israel

Temple Mickve Israel

20 East Gordon Street (Near Monterey Square)
Savannah, GA  31401
(912) 233-1547

Tours:  Monday - Friday: 10:00a - 12:00p & 2:00p - 4:00p
Duration: 30 to 43 minutes
Closed Jewish & Federal Holidays

Temple Mickve Israel was founded by a group of Jews, mainly of Spanish-Portuguese extraction, which landed at Savannah, July 11, 1733, five months after the establishment of the Colony of Georgia.

Temple Mickve Israel, in Savannah, is America's third-oldest Jewish congregation, and the oldest Jewish congregation in the South. In 1820, the congregation built their first synagogue in Georgia at the corner of Liberty and Whitaker Streets. The small wooden structure was the first synagogue built in Georgia but in 1829 the temple was destroyed by fire. On the same site a new brick building was built and consecrated in 1841.

Read more: Temple Mickve Israel

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Trinity United Methodist Church

Trinity United Methodist Church

Trinity United Methodist Church

225 West President Street (Near Telfair Square)
Savannah, GA  31401
(912) 233-4766

Tours: Call the office at (912) 233-4766 to arrange a tour. Office open 8:00a - 1:00p Monday -Thursday.

Trinity Methodist Church is the oldest Methodist church in Savannah. The cornerstone of Trinity Church was laid February 14, 1848 and the church was completed in the fall of 1850.

The land had been the garden of the Telfair Family. The solid masonry walls were built of Savannah gray brick finished with stucco and built in the Greek Revival style. The interior of the sanctuary was similar in design to the Wesley Chapel in London, England. The McIntire Educational Building immediately west of the sanctuary was constructed in 1927.

Read more: Trinity United Methodist Church

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Unitarian Universalist Church

Unitarian Universalist Church

Unitarian Universalist Church

311 East Harris Street (Near Troup Square)
Savannah, GA  31401
(912) 234-0980

Tours:  For a tour please call (912) 234-0980 or stop by the office on Harris Street.
The office is open Monday - Wednesday from 4:00p - 7:00p and during the morning on Thursday.

Originally located on Oglethorpe Square, the Unitarian Universalist Church, built in 1851, now sits on the west side of Troup Square. Reverend John Pierpont Jr. was the minister of the church in 1852, and his brother James served as the organist and choir director. Legend says that James Pierpont wrote the song we know as “Jingle Bells” during the time that he served at this church.

Read more: Unitarian Universalist Church

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Wesley Monumental Church

Wesley Monumental Church

Wesley Monumental Church

433 Abercorn Street (Near Calhoun Square)
Savannah, GA  31401
(912) 232-0191

Tours: Every Friday at 10:00a
Duration: 1 hour

Savannah’s first Methodist Church, Wesley Monumental Church, was established in 1807 and was located at the corner of Lincoln Street and Oglethorpe Avenue. In 1862 Wesley Chapel was closed, and the two churches became one, known as Trinity Church.

Read more: Wesley Monumental Church