One of Canton’s oldest churches, the Mount Zion Baptist Church was organized around 1865. Members worshiped in a white Baptst church prior to the Civil War and the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation. After freedom came, they were told to organize their own church. The members secured a place on Freedom Hill and built the original church. The present church was built in 1929.
Historical Narrative from the official registration form:
“The popluation of Madison County, Mississippi has been predominantly African-American since 1840. Prior to 1865, some members of the African-American population, most of whom had arrived in the county as slaves, were permitted to attend worship services, to be baptized and married in area churches, and to join established white religious congregations. Records indicate that even in the county’s earliest days, slaves were a part of the church communities….Today, the Mr. Zion Baptist Church continues to serve the African-American community of Canton, Mississippi. The congregation is one of the oldest African-American religious groups in the county and the church building is one of the most monumental and intact historic resources associated with Canton’s African-American community. The church clearly reflects the importance of the congregation in the social and religious life of the African-American community during its period of significance, 1929-1950.”
Click here for the offical Registration Form for the National Register of Historic Places.
