On January 20, 1887, eighteen Baptists gathered in an opera house on St. George Street to form what we know as the Ancient City Baptist Church. Converts to the church were baptized in the Matanzas Bay north of Fort Marion (the Castillo de San Marcos). On February2, 1896, after the membership raised $10,000, Henry Flagler made good in his pledge of $5,000 and an enviable lot of land at the corner of Carrera and Sevilla where the church sits today.
Come by anytime this Saturday, May 13, from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. for a tour-and-tale of this Historic House of Worship – and be sure to ask why the church has no bell in its steeple!
But there’s more!! On Saturday, May 13, at 2:00 p.m., Win Thornton, former CEO of East Coast Florida Railroad (and an active member of this church) will be speaking in the sanctuary. 
Afterward, our newly renovated history room will be open and the oldest member of the church will display the treasured first communion service, original altar Bible, the letter from the pastor in 1883 to Henry Flagler’s right-hand man asking for the gift of land, the hymn written for our church dedication by the author of the patriotic song, “My Country ‘Tis of Thee” along with other relics.
For further information about this wonderful old church building, visit www.ancientcitybaptist.org