Henry Cunningham (minister)
Henry Cunningham | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1759 |
| Died | March 29, 1842 (aged 82 or 83) |
| Resting place | Laurel Grove Cemetery South, Savannah, Georgia, U.S. |
| Occupation | Baptist minister |
Henry Cunningham (1759 – March 29, 1842) was a formerly enslaved African-American Baptist minister who was the first minister of the Second African Baptist Church in Savannah, Georgia, United States. Their former home, at 117–119 Houston Street in Savannah, is considered the oldest building constructed for a person of color in that city.
Life and career
Cunningham was born in 1759. He served as the first minister of the Second African Baptist Church in Greene Square, Savannah, Georgia,[1][2] between 1802 and 1833.[3][4][5] He established the church with 25 other Baptists.[6]
In 1810,[7] he had built today's home at 117–119 Houston Street in Savannah, today known as the Henry Cunningham House.[8][9]
Death
Cunningham died in 1842, aged 82 or 83. His wife, Betsey, preceded him in death by four years. They are both interred in Laurel Grove Cemetery South in Savannah,[10] having been removed from their initial resting place, a Negro burial ground near Whitefield Square.[11][12]
Notes
- ^ Berinato, Christopher. "That's So Savannah: Where was the '40 Acres and a Mule' order read to the public?". Savannah Morning News. Retrieved 2026-03-11.
- ^ Mobley, Chuck. "At the cross-roads of history". Savannah Morning News. Retrieved 2026-03-11.
- ^ "Second African Baptist Church (Savannah, Ga.) records: 1812-1979". archives.nypl.org. Retrieved 2026-03-11.
- ^ "The Historic Second African Baptist Church | Visit Savannah". visitsavannah.com. 2024-03-11. Retrieved 2026-03-11.
- ^ "History of the First African Baptist Church". www.reformedreader.org. Retrieved 2026-03-11.
- ^ "Second Baptist Church Historical Marker". www.hmdb.org. Retrieved 2026-03-11.
- ^ Historic Building Map: Savannah Historic District – Historic Preservation Department of the Chatham County-Savannah Metropolitan Planning Commission (November 17, 2011), p. 31
- ^ "African-American Experience in Savannah".
- ^ Wallace, Cindy (2011). Civil War Savannah: Savannah, immortal city. Greenleaf Book Group. p. 185. ISBN 978-1934572702.
- ^ National Register of Historic Places Inventory -- Nomination Form, February 15, 1978
- ^ "Laurel Grove South Cemetery - Georgia Historical Society". Georgia Historical Society. Retrieved 2026-03-11.
- ^ McNeal, Candace. "Historical Markers and African American Heritage in Savannah". digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu. Retrieved 2026-03-12.