First Missionary Baptist Church is home to one of Arkansas’ oldest Black congregations, having been founded in 1845 by an enslaved man, Reverend Wilson Brown. The current red brick Gothic Revival building was constructed in 1882 by formerly enslaved craftsmen. Linked to Little Rock’s historic 9th Street corridor, the church was a vital center for civil rights activism. It hosted influential speakers, including Booker T. Washington and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., who preached from its pulpit in 1963. This magnificent National Register-listed building continues to serve its active congregation today.