Washington, D.C. Nineteenth Street Baptist Church, 1925.
Price: $750.00
Softcover. First edition. Quarto. [12]pp. Illustrated throughout reproducing black-and-white photographs of Walter H. Brooks and a view of the church, including three photographs by noted African-American photographer, Addison Scurlock. Stapled copper-colored printed wrappers. Covers are a little rubbed, tips of corners lightly bumped, else a very good copy. Inscribed by Brooks: "To B. I. Wiley by Walter H. Brooks" at upper margin of the first leaf.
Laid into the souvenir program is a five-page biographical sketch of Brooks in contemporary ink holograph in an unknown hand (three 12mo. sheets, with writing on five sides). Brooks was born into slavery in Richmond in 1851. His parents purchased their own freedom, and later freed several of their children, but Walter and his eldest brother, David, remained in bondage for fourteen years. Brooks entered Lincoln University in 1866, earning degrees from Lincoln, and Howard University. He served as pastor of the Nineteenth Street Baptist Church in Washington, D.C. for over sixty years. He is the author of several important church histories, numerous sermons, and two poetry collections, *Original Poems* (1932) and *The Pastor's Voice* (1945).
Scarce. Unrecorded by *OCLC*. Not in *Blockson*. Not in *Work* (which does note four publications by Brooks). Text includes a biographical sketch of Walter H. Brooks, "Milestones in the Life of Walter Henderson Brooks," a "Brief Church History," and a program of events for the five-day celebration, November 8-13, 1925, including a detailed list of participants and events.
Item #518907
