16 First African Baptist Church

The First African Baptist Church in Savannah is located in the historic district at 23 Montgomery Street, where it overlooks the northwest corner of Franklin Square. The building has been recognized as one of the nation’s oldest African American Baptist Churches. Members of the early congregation consisted mostly of enslaved individuals. The development of the church started with the organizational work of former slave, George Leile, who according to records, first brought the members together in 1773. He was ordained in 1775, and the official establishment of the church was in 1788.