In 1967, Martin Luther King Jr. stood at the pulpit of Shiloh Baptist Church in Cleveland, Ohio, speaking about the Vietnam War and civil rights. Nearly six decades later, the historic African American congregation has secured a $750,000 grant to repair its building and make it more accessible to the community. According to News 5 Cleveland, the funding comes through the National Park Service’s African American Civil Rights Grant Program, with the Cleveland Restoration Society helping the church prepare its application. The grant will support essential repairs while helping Shiloh continue its work as a place of worship, community service and civil rights history.
A congregation with roots in 1849
Shiloh Baptist Church was founded in 1849 and is described by News 5 Cleveland as the city’s oldest African American Baptist congregation. After occupying several locations over the years, it moved into its current building on Scovill Avenue in 1926. The historic structure had previously housed B’nai Jeshurun Temple and is recognised as a local and national historic landmark.For generations, Shiloh has served more than its own congregation. Its history is tied to the experiences of African Americans who moved north during the Great Migration, as well as to Cleveland’s civil rights movement. The church provided a place for worship, support and advocacy during periods of social change.Its community role was also evident during the Hough riots of 1966, when the congregation helped rebuild homes destroyed by fire. That history reflects the church’s involvement in neighbourhood life beyond Sunday services, including efforts to support residents facing hardship.
Martin Luther King Jr.’s visit in 1967
One of the most significant moments in Shiloh’s history came in 1967, when Martin Luther King Jr. visited Cleveland and preached from its pulpit. According to News 5 Cleveland, the visit was his final one to the city before his assassination in 1968. The Rev. Dr. Lisa Goods, Shiloh’s current pastor and the first woman to lead the congregation, told the broadcaster that King spoke about the Vietnam War and delivered a version of his “A Knock at Midnight” speech. He also called on the congregation to support Operation Breadbasket and protest Sealtest over its treatment of African Americans.The visit connected the church to the wider struggle for racial equality at a time when civil rights activism and opposition to the Vietnam War were prominent issues in the United States. Preserving the building therefore means maintaining a physical place associated with a significant chapter in Cleveland’s history. Shiloh also has cultural connections beyond the civil rights movement. Goods told News 5 Cleveland that actress and singer Dorothy Dandridge was a member of the congregation and had credited the church with hosting her first performance. During the Harlem Renaissance, the church also hosted artistic activity, adding another dimension to its cultural legacy.
What the $750,000 grant will fund
The National Park Service included Shiloh Baptist Church’s rehabilitation among the projects receiving funding through its African American Civil Rights Preservation and History Grants. Its published awards list identifies the Cleveland Restoration Society as the recipient organisation for the $750,000 Shiloh Baptist Church Rehabilitation project.According to News 5 Cleveland, the money will address several problems affecting the building. Planned work includes restoring the deteriorating portico, repairing water-damaged plaster throughout the church, installing air conditioning in the sanctuary and adding an elevator to improve accessibility. These improvements are intended to protect the historic structure while making it easier for people to use. Repairing damaged areas can help preserve the building for the future, while air conditioning and an elevator can make the space more comfortable and accessible to a wider range of visitors.The grant will also support an update to the church’s National Register of Historic Places nomination, which was originally completed in 1982. The revised documentation is expected to better reflect Shiloh’s history and its role in the civil rights movement.
Keeping the church active in the community
The Cleveland Restoration Society worked with Shiloh on the grant application. Its president, Kathleen Crowther, described the funding as an important opportunity for urban congregations trying to maintain historic buildings. Churches can face significant financial pressure when older structures need major repairs, particularly when congregations have limited resources.The application also highlighted Shiloh’s ongoing community work, including programmes related to health services, food access and youth outreach. The church has also received a grant for a feasibility study exploring affordable housing on some of its vacant land.For Goods, the funding offers a chance to protect the building while sustaining the congregation’s broader purpose. The aim is not simply to preserve an old structure, but to keep it useful to the people it serves.
Preserving history for the next generation
The National Park Service’s grant programme supports projects that preserve places and stories connected to the African American struggle for civil rights. Shiloh’s award places the Cleveland congregation among efforts to protect buildings that carry both architectural and historical importance.With repairs, improved accessibility and updated historical documentation planned, the grant could help ensure that the church remains a living community space rather than just a landmark from the past. Nearly 60 years after King preached there, Shiloh Baptist Church is preparing for its next chapter while safeguarding the history that made it significant.
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