Pennepack Baptist Church
Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania
Marker Inscription
It was founded in 1688 by Welsh and English Baptists led by Rev. Elias Keach who sought the religious freedom of William Penn's colony. It was the first permanent Baptist church in Pa. and mother church of Baptist congregations in the mid-Atlantic region. The nearby Pennypack Creek was utilized for baptisms. The cemetery's first recorded burial was in 1692. The existing 1805 church is built on the original 1707 meetinghouse foundation.
Erected by Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission
The Story
In 1688, Welsh and English Baptists led by the Rev. Elias Keach gathered along Pennypack Creek, drawn to William Penn's colony by its promise of religious freedom. They founded the first permanent Baptist church in Pennsylvania, which became the mother congregation for Baptist communities across the mid-Atlantic. Believers were baptized in the nearby creek, and the surrounding cemetery holds burials dating to 1692; the present 1805 building rests on the foundation of the original 1707 meetinghouse.
Why it matters
It stands as a cradle of American Baptist life, showing how Penn's colony became a nursery for dissenting faiths that would flourish across the young nation.
Plan your visit
NearbyMake a day of it — museums, food, and places to stay near this marker.
Museums & culture
- Betsy Ross House10.2 mi away · 239 Arch Street, Philadelphia, PA
- Illadelph Glass Gallery10.2 mi away · 68 North 2nd Street, Philadelphia, PA
- Muse Gallery10.2 mi away · 52 North 2nd Street, Philadelphia, PA
- Larry Becker Contemporary Art10.2 mi away · 43 North 2nd Street, Philadelphia, PA
- National Constitution Center10.2 mi away · 525 Arch Street, Philadelphia, PA
- Paradigm Gallery + Studio10.3 mi away · 12 North 3rd Street, Philadelphia, PA
Attractions
- Harbison's Dairy Milk Bottle8.1 mi away
- Philly Gun Range9.9 mi away · North Percy Street
- Elfreth's Alley10.1 mi away
- Discovery Center at East Park Reservoir10.1 mi away
- U.S. Mint at Philadelphia Tour10.2 mi away
- Benjamin Franklin Grave10.3 mi away
Food & drink
- Independence Mall Cafe10.3 mi away · 50 North Independence Mall East, Philadelphia
- 3J's Cafe10.3 mi away · 317 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA
- Bubble Tea Room10.3 mi away · 319 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA
- PrimoHoagies10.4 mi away · 304 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA
- Fork10.4 mi away · 306 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA
- Menagerie Coffee10.4 mi away · 18 South 3rd Street, Philadelphia, PA
Places to stay
- Holiday Inn Express Philadelphia E - Penns Landing10.1 mi away · 100 North Christopher Columbus Boulevard, Philadelphia
- Penn's View Hotel10.3 mi away · 14 North Front Street, Philadelphia
- The Philadelphia House10.3 mi away · 17 North 2nd Street, Philadelphia, PA
- Wyndham Philadelphia Historic District10.3 mi away · 400 Arch Street, Philadelphia, PA
- Clarion Suites Philadelphia10.3 mi away · 1010 Race Street, Philadelphia
- Four Points by Sheraton Philadelphia City Center10.4 mi away · 1201 Race Street, Philadelphia
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Related people
- · Rev. Elias Keach
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
Wall House (The Ivy)
Cheltenham Township, PA · est. 1982
In the first years of William Penn's colony, a settler named Richard Wall raised a stone house on land granted directly by the founder, and in 1683 it became one of the earliest gathering places for the Society of Friends in the region. Quakers met here for prayer and business through 1702, and successive additions in the 1720s and early 1800s grew the dwelling as one family's descendants held it for a century and a half. Cheltenham Township acquired the venerable house in 1932, preserving a rare tangible link to Pennsylvania's founding generation.
The Jewish Hospital
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Christopher Saur (1693-1758)
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Germantown Meetinghouse
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Built in 1770, this was the first meetinghouse in the nation for the Church of the Brethren, a German pietist denomination born in 1708. Facing harsh religious persecution at home, virtually the entire church pulled up roots and resettled in America by 1750, seeking the freedom of worship that Pennsylvania promised. Many of the movement's earliest American leaders rest in the cemetery here.