Durham Religious Institutions Research Guide

Note on Content

Christian Church Histories and Directories

Impact of the Black Church on the Black Community

Specific Church Events

Church Cookbooks and Magazines

Specific Religious Figures

Jewish Religious Institutions, Life, and Culture

Islamic Religious Institutions, Life, and Culture

Note on Content

The majority of materials in this guide relate to Christian churches. There are a number of sources relating to Jewish life and culture, but they do not comprehensively cover the Jewish presence in Durham, which dates back to the 1870s. There are only a handful of materials relating to Islamic life and Muslim Durham residents even though the Ar-Razzaq Islamic Center, the oldest Muslim community in North Carolina, opened on West Chapel Hill Street in 1971. Resources from other institutions supplement this imbalance, but they should not be considered exhaustive.

Christian Church Histories and Directories

The materials in this section include histories, pictures, and church records of various Christian churches in Durham. Many of the materials are organized by denomination for easier viewing.

• Architectural Projects (1955-2010), 1.1 Churches, Frank DePasquale papers (NCC.0030).
• Durham County by Jean Bradley Anderson, chapters 4-6, 9-11, 14-16, 18, 19, 21, . 
• Christian and Missionary Alliance Church of Durham records (NCC.0033).
• Churches, 1959 – 1995, Robert Blake Photographs (NCC.0007), Binder Box 1.
• Creating and Maintaining Multiracial Christian Church Organizations in the 21st Century by Margo Savage.
• Durham: A Pictorial History by Joel A. Kostyu and Frank A. Kostyu.
• Durham County Church and Family Cemetery Data to 1985 compiled and edited by Gordon N. Ruckart.
• How Times Do Change:A Series of Sketches of Durham and Her Citizens by Wyatt Dixon.
• The Story of Duke’s Chapel by Amy Childs Fallaw.

Baptist

• Braggtown Baptist Church: A History.
• Cedar Fork Baptist Church records (NCC.0207).
• Church Directory of Temple Baptist Church. 
• Documents Concerning Baptism and Church Membership: A Controversy Among North Carolina Baptists by G. McLeod Bryan.
• East Cedar Grove Missionary Baptist Association records (NCC.0072).
• Ephesus Baptist Church Directory. 
• Fifty Years of Christian leadership, 1924-1974 by Oak Grove Free Will Baptist Church.
• From Glory to Glory : A History of Temple Baptist Church, Durham, North Carolina, January 29, 1888-January 29, 1988 by Ruby West.
• Grey Stone Baptist Church, Durham, NC: 100th Anniversary, 1894-1994 by Frances W. Edgerton.
• Our First One Hundred Years: Yates Baptist Church, 1878-1978 by Jay Broadus Hubbell.
• History of the Raleigh Baptist Association of North Carolina by William Richard Eaton.
• Remembering Our Past, Reshaping Our Future: 127 Years of History, Mount Vernon Baptist Church, Durham, North Carolina.
• Ross Primitive Baptist Church, September 9, 1899 – November 13, 1994.
• Telling the Stories: A History of Watts Street Baptist Church : Seventy-fifth Anniversary, 1923-1998 by Warner Ragsdale and Shirley Strobel.

Methodist

• A history of Epworth United Methodist Church, Hope Valley Road at University Drive, Durham, North Carolina: “The first 25 years,” November 4, 1951-February 6, 1977 by William Stauber. 
• Centennial History of Trinity Methodist Church by Benjamin Guy Childs.
• History of Trinity United Methodist Church, 1961-1972 by Benjamin Guy Childs.
• Ninety Years of Duke Memorial Church, 1886-1976 by Wyatt Thomas Dixon.
• The Centenary of Duke Memorial Church: A Portrait of Duke Memorial United Methodist Church, 1975-1986 by Thomas Langford and Ann Marie Langford.
• The History of Mount Sylvan United Methodist Church, 1885-1972 : Roxboro Road, Durham, N.C. compiled and edited by Wilmer I. Smith.
• The Methodist Church in Durham by Costen J. Harrell.

Presbyterian

• Downtown by History and Choice : First Presbyterian Church of Durham, North Carolina, 1871-2013 by Peter Graham Fish.
• First Presbyterian Church Directory.
• Our Church by First Presbyterian Church.
• The Unforgettable Years: A Record of the Activities of the First Presbyterian Church, Durham, North Carolina, During the War Years, 1941- 1945 by Clara Pugh Matthis.

Episcopal

• A Church History by Charles Jerome Huneycutt.
• A New Vision for St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church by Samuel A. Mason.
• St. Joseph’s Episcopal Church: The Second Fifty Years by Muriel Mellown.
• St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, Durham, North Carolina, 1956-1981 : with supplements for 1982-1986 and 1987-1991 by Harry Hollingsworth.
• St. Stephen’s Church, Durham, N.C.
• The History of Duke Memorial Methodist Episcopal Church, South: A Paper Read by Dallas Walton Newsom.
• The History of St. Philip’s Episcopal Church, 1878-1994 by Harold T. Parker.
• The Life and Service of St. Joseph’s Episcopal Church : Fifty Years in the West Durham Community, 1908-1958.

Lutheran

• Sixty years with the people of St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, Durham, North Carolina, 1923-1983 by Doris Belk Tilley.
• The First 75 Years: A History of St. Paul’s Evangelical Lutheran Church edited by Doris Belk Tilley and David Bland.

Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints

• History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in North Carolina: With a Detailed Record of the Church in Durham by Wallace R. Draughon.

Impact of the Black Church on the Black Community

The Black church has historically been used as a site of activism, civic engagement, and a space of hope and resilience within the Black community. Some of these resources, such as those those on White Rock Baptist Church, talk about the significance of churches as sites of civil rights organizing. For further information, see the Pauli Murray Research Guide and the Civil Rights and Black Activism Research Guide.

• Asa and Elna Spaulding papers, David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Duke University.
  • There are a number of materials related to various important Black churches, with the most substantial materials relating to White Rock Baptist Church.
• Black Church Identity Crisis: Pimping the Church by Joyce Reba Payne.
• Called to Reconciliation: How the Church Can Model Justice, Diversity, and Inclusion by Jonathan Augustine.
• Churches, Frank DePasquale papers (NCC-0030).
  • Includes historic preservation materials for St. Joseph A.M.E. Church from the 1980s and early 1990s.
• East Cedar Grove Missionary Baptist Association records (NCC.0072).
• “Fight on Christian Soldier”: The Role of Black Churches in the Freedom Struggles of Durham, North Carolina 1955-1970 by Christopher Leevy Johnson.
• Hearing Faith: Musical Practice and Spirit-filled Worship in a Contemporary African American Church by Will Boone.
• Holy Ghost Corner: a Novel by Michele Andrea Bowen.
• North Carolina Black Churches Conferences & Associations Directory.
• R. Kelly Bryant papers and obituary collection (NCC-0014).
  • Contains multiple folders pertaining to White Rock Baptist Church.
• Russell Memorial C.M.E. Church, 1949-2012, Harris Family papers (NCC-0094).
• St. Joseph’s A.M.E., undated, Jean Bradley Anderson papers (NCC-0002).
• Upon This Rock : White Rock Baptist Church’s dynamic people and their influence in the Durham, North Carolina Community, 1866-2016 by Joyce Blackwell.
• White Rock Baptist Church: Gathering Bits of Its History by Kam Gill.
• North Carolina Collection Subject Files (NCC-SUBJECT): The Subject Files contain news clippings and historical material  pertaining to many Black churches, including:
  • Antioch Baptist Church
  • Beacon Light Missionary Baptist Church
  • Emmanuel A.M.E. Church
  • First Cavalry Baptist Church
  • Lakeview Missionary Baptist Church
  • Lincoln Memorial Baptist Church
  • Mount Gilead Baptist Church
  • Mount Level Missionary Baptist Church
  • Mount Sinai Baptist Church
  • Mount Vernon Baptist Church
  • Mount Zion Christian Church (formerly Mount Zion Baptist Church)
  • Mount Zoar Missionary Baptist Church
  • New Bethel Missionary Baptist Church
  • Northside Missionary Baptist Church
  • Orange Grove Missionary Baptist Church
  • Russell Memorial C.M.E. Church
  • St. John’s Missionary Baptist Church
  • St. Joseph A.M.E. Church
  • St. Mark A.M.E. Zion Church
  • Union Baptist Church
  • West Durham Baptist Church
  • White Rock Baptist Church

Specific Church Events

This section highlights events dedicated to community engagement or the expansion of church congregations.

• 100 Years: A Centennial Celebration of God’s Love, Glory and Goodness to All Mankind and to His People in This Congregation, October 26, 1986, Mount Vernon Baptist Church.
• 25th Anniversary Album by Saint Barbara Greek Orthodox Church.
• 50th golden anniversary : St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, Durham, North Carolina by Doris B. Tilley.
• 65 Historic Years : Grace Baptist Church, Durham, North Carolina compiled by Colene Wilkins.
• Bethesda Baptist Church Celebrates a Century of Serving: Through Missions, Music and Ministry, 1884-1984 ; March 25, 1984, Anniversary Date.
• Central North Carolina Conference of the African Methodist Episcopal Zion church, 116th Session, 2005, Becky Heron Papers (NC-0096).
• Christian Ministries in An Urbanizing Area the City of Durham and Its Environs by Seminar of Urban Studies.
• Diamond Jubilee, 1861-1936, Trinity Methodist Church, Durham, North Carolina.
• Durham District Conference : Parkwood United Methodist Church, Durham, North Carolina.
• Families of Saint Mary’s Episcopal Chapel, Orange County, North Carolina: A Special Service Project by the Young Women of Chapel Hill First, Chapel Hill Second, and Durham First Wards of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints by Ben Franklin.
• Fletcher’s Chapel United Methodist Church: Dedication Day Services.
• Guardians of Worship: A Photographic Essay Featuring the Stained Glass Windows of Duke Memorial United Methodist Church, Durham, North Carolina in Celebration of the One-Hundredth Anniversary of the Founding of the Church by William Arthur Kale.
• Saint Barbara Church Fiftieth Anniversary Commemorative Album.
• Sermons From St. Philip’s: Selections, 1912-1994 compiled and edited by Harold T. Parker.
• The Dedication of the University Chapel: the Program of Dedication, the Addresses, the Dedicatory Sermon, the Chapel Illustrated.
• The First Baptist Church, Durham, N.C.: Dedication Program.

Church Cookbooks and Magazines

• A Book of Favorite Recipes by Bethesda Baptist Church.
• Centennial Cookbook Recipes by Carr United Methodist Church.
• Cresset’s 25th Anniversary Cookbook, 1959-1984: Celebrating 25 Years of Good Food and Fellowship by Cresset Baptist Church.
• Guess Road Baptist Church Favorite Recipes.
• Recipes & Remembrances, Volume 2, 100th Anniversary: From the Church Members, Friends, and Relatives, Collected by the Church Members and Friends by Lowe’s Grove Baptist Church.
• Recipes & Remembrances: From the Church Members, Friends, and Relatives of the Eighties, Collected by the Youth 1983-1987, Completed by Volunteers 1998-1999 by Lowe’s Grove Baptist Church.
• Recipes by Bethesda United Methodist Church.
• Recipes From the Trinity United Methodist Church by United Methodist Women’s Taste N’ Tell Luncheon.
• Saint Joseph’s A.M.E. Church Favorite Recipes and Household Hints edited by Melzie E. Elliott.
• The Pittsboro Baptist Church Cookbook.
• Triangle Presbyterian Church Cookbook: 30th Anniversary.

Magazines

• Book of Advance Reports for Yates Baptist Association.
• Bulletin by First Presbyterian Church.
• Directory of Duke Memorial United Methodist Church.
• The Memorial Church Messenger by Memorial Methodist Church.

Specific Religious Figures

The majority of the religious figures in this section are from a Christian background, except for Jewish writer and activist Harry Golden. For more information on Pauli Murray, please visit the Pauli Murray Resource Guide. 

• A Religious Profile of Durham, North Carolina, 1880-1930 by Robert Meredith Watson.
• Friends: Pictorial Report of Ten Years Pastorate (1933-1943) by Miles Mark Fisher.
• Pauli Murray:  Selected Sermons and Writings selected with an introduction by Anthony B. Pinn.
  • Circulating copies available as well.
• Standing Tall in Proud Shoes: Pauli Murray’s Life and Legacy contributions by Anne Firor Scott and Durham County Library.
  • Video of a program done in collaboration with NCC and Sallie Bingham Center for Women’s History and Culture at Duke.
• There’s Joe Harvard: A Profile of the Reverend Joseph Sherwood Harvard, III, Senior Pastor, First Presbyterian Church, Durham, North Carolina by Alex Crockett.
• The Way We Lived:  Durham, 1900-1920 by James Graham Leyburn.

Harry Golden

Harry Golden is a Jewish immigrant originally emigrating to New York City and later moved to Charlotte in the 1940s. He is best known for publishing the Carolina Israelite, a newspaper filled with Golden’s use of humor as a way to criticize racial inequality in the United States.

• Harry Golden papers – pt. 1 (MS0020.1). J. Murrey Atkins Library Special Collections and University Archives, University of North Carolina at Charlotte.
• Harry Golden papers – pt. 2 (MS0020.2). J. Murrey Atkins Library Special Collections and University Archives, University of North Carolina at Charlotte.

Jewish Religious Institutions, Life, and Culture

The resources in this section contain specific family histories and genealogies of Jewish families living in North Carolina as well as archival collections related to Jewish life and culture in Durham. For a broad history of Jewish people living in North Carolina, please see the book by Leonard Rogoff, which covers the 1500s  to the 2000s. Rogoff’s history of Jewish people in North Carolina also accounts for a variety of Jewish identities including Asheknazi, Sephardic, and Mizrahi Jews. 

• Bibilog — Temple of Israel: Oldest Jewish Congregation in North Carolina, Established May 2, 1876 Wilmington, North Carolina.
• Brit Tzedek V’Shalom, Jewish Alliance for Justice and Peace, 2003, Steve Schewel papers (NCC-0231).
• Coming Home recording by Eli Evans.
• Down Home: Jewish Life in North Carolina by Leonard Rogoff.
  • There’s also a companion film with the same name released in 2009. The 82 minute film is available via circulation & non-circulation.
• Family Portrait: History and Genealogy of the Gottschalk, Molling, and Benjamin Families From Hannover, Germany by Thomas Krakauer.
• From Pine Street to Watts Street:  An oral history of the Jews of Durham, NC by Robin Gruber.
• Hadassah Annual Yearbook by the Women’s Zionist Organization of America, Durham Chapter.
• Henry Bane papers (NCC-0003).
• Homelands:  Southern Jewish Identity in Durham and Chapel Hill, North Carolina by Leonard Rogoff.
• Jewish American Film Festival, 1999-2000, Carolina Theatre records (NCC-0017).
• Jewish Community, North Carolina Collection Subject Files (NCC-SUBJET), Drawer 15.
• Lerner Jewish Community Day School records (NCC-0340).
• Mordecai, An Early American Family by Emily Bingham.
• My Father’s People: A Family of Southern Jews by Louis D. Rubin Jr.
• Realizing God for the Future: A Personal Vision and Credo by Saul Boyarsky.
• Synagogues, North Carolina Collection Subject Files (NCC-SUBJECT), Drawer 21.
• Tales of a Shirtmaker: a Jewish Upbringing in North Carolina by Frederick L. Block as told to Susan Taylor Block.
• The Jews of Charlotte, North Carolina: A Chronicle With Commentary and Conjectures by Morris Speizman.
• The Lonely Days Were Sundays: Reflections of a Jewish Southerner by Eli Evans.
• The Provincials:  A Personal History of Jews in the South by Eli Evans.
• They Fled Hitler’s Germany and Found Refuge in North Carolina edited by Henry Landsberger and Christoph Schweitzer.
• Triangle Jewish Chorale records (NCC-0201).

Oral Histories

• The Charlotte Jewish Historical Society has 13 digitized oral histories from Jewish people in Charlotte.

Islamic Religious Institutions, Life, and Culture

There has been a history of Islam in North Carolina since the early 1800s when Omar ibn Said, a Muslim scholar from Futa Toro (now present-day Senegal), was enslaved in the Fayetteville area by General James Owen. More contemporary examples of Islamic life and culture in the Triangle date back to the 1950s, with the popularization of the Nation of Islam among Black Americans and Sunni Muslims who immigrated to North Carolina and wanted to continue practicing their faith. The majority of these materials contain external links.

• Mosques, North Carolina Collection, Durham County Library, Subject Files (NCC-SUBJECT), Drawer 16.
• Omar ibn Said materials, Wilson Special Collections, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. 
• The Athaan in the Bull City: Building Durham’s Islamic Community by Nazeeh Z. Abdul-Hakeem.

Notable Mosques in the Triangle

• Jamaat Ibad Ar-Rahman 
  • The Ibad Ar Rahman School is the “the longest operating Muslim school in North Carolina”
• Islamic Center of Raleigh 
• Ar-Razzaq Islamic Center of Durham
  • Exhibit at Duke University in 2022.
  • WUNC segment in 2018.

This page was originally created by Sophia Chimbanda, Hart Leadership Fellow at Duke University, in Spring 2024. Corrections or additions may have been made by NCC staff.