| City/Town: • Palatka |
| Location Class: • Religious |
| Built: • 1912 | Abandoned: • 1997 |
| Status: • Demolished |
| Photojournalist: • David Bulit |
Table of Contents
History of Palatka’s Mount Tabor First Baptist Church
Following the Civil War during the Reconstruction Era, Mount Tabor First Baptist Church was officially established. The church was organized on September 15, 1869, during a Wednesday prayer meeting in Palatka, Florida. The original meeting place was the Hudson Building, and the second was a brush arbor—a simple open-sided shelter made of vertical poles driven into the ground, with additional long poles providing support for a roof made of brush, cut branches, or hay.
In the first two years (1869-1871), three ministers—Reverend R. P. Bishop, Reverend Jones, and Reverend Samuel Small—established the ministerial council and ordained the first deacons: Jackson Wright, Ned Hutchinson, and James Arnold. Reverend William Bell served as the first regular pastor from 1871 to 1889 and held two additional pastorates from 1896 to 1898 and again from 1900 to 1902. In 1887, during Reverend Bell’s tenure, the congregation of Christian believers was able to leave the “brush arbor” and move into a newly built wooden church at 913 Reid Street in downtown Palatka. This church was dedicated on May 18, 1888.
A New Brick Edifice
In 1912, the church was rebuilt under the leadership of Reverend F.W. Wells. It was dedicated on April 27, 1913, occasioned by the laying of the cornerstone. At the time of its dedication, it was considered one of the largest black churches in the state of Florida.
During a period lasting more than 75 years, from 1912 to 1990, seventeen pastoral servants provided spiritual guidance to the congregation and the community. Notably, three of these pastors served for over a decade each: Rev. L. N. Anderson (1917-1927), Rev. J. W. Walker (1952-1967), and Rev. Samuel M. Gatson (1973-1988).
On Sunday, April 7, 1991, Reverend Karl Nathaniel Flagg, a native of Palatka, accepted the call to serve as the pastoral leader of Mt. Tabor. He has been serving in this role for the past 24 years. In November 1997, the church congregation moved to a new location, closing this building in the process. ON June 2, 2025, the old Mount Tabor First Baptist Church was demolished.
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