First Baptist Church Collection

The First Baptist Church of Clarksville grew out of the congregation of the Spring Creek Baptist Church which was established in 1808 and is one of the earliest Baptist churches in Montgomery County. The First Baptist Church began by meeting for services at the courthouse in Clarksville under the direction of Elder Reuben Ross in 1831. Ross was the pastor of the Spring Creek Baptist Church and made visits to Clarksville on a monthly rotation. The original congregation consisted of 17 members and had grown to 53 by 1841. During this time the church purchased a piece of property in downtown Clarksville and began raising funds to construct a permanent church building which was completed in 1843.

Elder Reuben Ross continued as the pastor of the church until 1841. He was succeeded by Thomas B. Ripley (1842-1846), William Shelton (1846-1850), Joseph Manton (1850-1857), and John B. Duncan (1858-1861). The church congregation continued to grow, reaching a total of 81 members before the outbreak of the Civil War interrupted church activities. Between 1861 and 1865, W.G. Inman served as pastor, but only held services sporadically. During this time, the church's congregation size dropped back down to 17 people. This decline in members was not unique to First Baptist Church. Many other local churches saw their numbers decline as men went off to war. The occupation by the Union Army further compounded the issue, with some churches shutting down completely.

Following the war, A.D. Sears took on the role as the new pastor of the church. Sears was 62 when he came to Clarksville and was faced with a church in need of rebuilding. With a starting congregation size of 25 people, Sears worked to expand membership numbers and revive old programs. Sunday school was reinstituted, and new groups were established, including the Women's Missionary Society (1882) and the men's Sunday School Baraca Class (1890). He also pushed to move the church to its current location on the corner of Madison and 5th Streets. The building was projected to cost $25,000 and construction began in 1867. Financial difficulties plagued the project, and although the final cost was within the original projection the building was not completed until January 1891. Not long after construction was completed A.D. Sears died due to injuries he sustained when he fell while attending repair work on the steeple. He was followed as pastor by Arthur U. Boone (1891-1898), Dr. Robert R. Acree (1899-1907), and Clarence D. Graves (1907-1912). During Graves's time as pastor, he helped establish the Advisory Board as a church governing body to work with the deacons.

Dr. Ryland Knight became pastor in 1912. Originally from Virginia, Knight moved to Tennessee with his wife Julia to take over as pastor at First Baptist Church, Clarksville. During his tenure the church expanded its support to missions and agreed to pay the salary of Mrs. George Leavell who served as a missionary in China. Knight also oversaw the construction of a new church building. The 1891 brick building was levelled around 1916 to make room for the new limestone building. Designed by John Gaisford, an architect out of Memphis, the total estimated cost of the project was $60,000, but there were overages due to design changes and upgrading to better quality materials. The church contracted with Nashville based builder Foster and Creighton Co. to provide the materials and construction work. Henry Pilcher's Sons Pipe Organs out of Louisville, Kentucky was also brought in to install a new electric pipe organ (the organ remained in use until it was replaced in 1970). When it was all completed the total cost for the new building was $65,000. Known as the 1917 Building or the Faith Building, this structure still stands on the corner of Madison and 5th Streets, although it has undergone several renovations and expansions.

Dr. Knight stepped down as pastor in 1918 and was followed by Edward Stubblefield (1918-1921), William C. Reeves (1921-1926), John A. Davidson (1927-1937), and Richard N. Owen (1938-1950). Owen oversaw more expansion, with the establishment of the first Vacation Bible School (1939), a church library (1949) and the purchase of property neighboring the existing church building. The church planned to construct a new wing attached to the existing building with space for educational classes and a chapel. As with the original 1891 brick building, it was a lengthy process to raise the funds and see the project to completion. The church established a building fund in 1941 but construction did not begin until 1953, after Owen stepped down as pastor. Dr. Paul B. Kirkland became pastor in 1951 and remained with the church until the Education Building and chapel were completed in 1955. The building came with a hefty price tag, with the final cost reaching $435,000. F. Norman Smith donated a large portion of the funds needed to construct the chapel which the church named in his honor.

Shortly after the Education Building was completed Dr. Kirkland resigned as pastor and Dr. Robert L. McCan stepped in, serving from 1955-1960. With the recent expansion and growing membership, the church was able to bring on more staff members. While McCan was pastor the church added an additional five employment positions, including ministerial and administrative jobs. In 1957 a new Kindergarten program began, putting the new Education Building to use. The church was still expanding, adding 142 new members in 1959 alone. Anticipation the growth to continue, the church purchased the American Snuff Company property on the corner of 5th and Commerce Streets, next to the existing church building in 1958.

In 1960 Dr. John David Laida took over as pastor of the First Baptist Church, Clarksville. He would go on to have the longest tenure as pastor in the church's history, remaining as Senior Pastor from 1960 to his retirement in December 1987. Laida oversaw the implementation of many different church outreach and service programs, including several membership drives, a food service program, a bus ministry, expanded Sunday school ministries, and growing support for world missions. The music ministry also expanded, with Minister of Music Bill Morris establishing the Majority Choir in 1969. The group performed for church services and toured on mission trips around the country.

The boom in membership prompted talk of more building expansions. In 1967 the church voted to evict the tenants of the former American Snuff property purchased in 1958 and to contract with an architect to create plans for a new multipurpose activities building. The Swenson and Kott Architectural Firm out of Nashville was hired to draw plans for the proposed $500,000 project. The former warehouse building was levelled to make room for a new Activities Building that featured amenities such as a bowling alley, a gym, and elevated track. The American Snuff warehouse that was razed to make room for the new building was originally built in 1861, and its destruction was documented in the Leaf-Chronicle. The Activities Building was completed in 1969 along with a renovation to the sanctuary in the Faith Building. In 1980 the church added a third floor to the Activities Building and a bridge walkway connecting the two church buildings. Just five short years later the church looked to expand again, and in 1985 began a fund-raising campaign to add extensions to both the Faith Building and the Activities Building. Completed in 1987, the final construction reached $3.5 million dollars.

Dr. Laida retired in December 1987, and a new pastor was not selected until 1989 when Dr. Dennis Newkirk assumed the role until 1992. He was followed by Dr. Roger Freeman in 1993. Under Dr. Freeman the church continued to build, initiating the Find Us Faithful campaign in 1998 to raise funds to construct a new worship hall on the corner of 5th and Commerce Streets. Called the Grace Building, construction began in 1999, and the building was dedicated in 2001. The larger worship space replaced the Faith Building sanctuary as the main church worship hall. Dr. Freeman continued as pastor until 2011 when he resigned and later accepted a new position as pastor at Grace Baptist Church, Nashville. Following Dr. Freeman's departure, the church selected Larry Riley to become the new pastor in 2012. He served in the role until March 2018.