Food & Wine magazine just put the spotlight on Jackson, Mississippi, calling it a place that keeps a low profile with a “cultural life on the upswing.” The city may not be the first place one thinks of to take a vacation, but it does have a unique Southern charm. It’s called the “Crossroads of the South,” and the motto is “The City with Soul.” Many great jazz, blues and gospel musicians were born in the area.

Many of the churches are fairly new buildings, because not much survived the Civil War era. The Union forces destroyed much of the city trying to capture Vicksburg, not once, but twice. The Confederate army took care of the rest when it attempted to recapture the town. At one time, the town was called “Chimneyville,” because all that remained were chimneys of houses that had been ravaged.  

Mt. Helm Baptist Church

Mt. Helm began in the basement of the First Baptist Church in Jackson for slaves. In 1867, it became a separate entity of its own. Today, it is the oldest black church in Jackson and it has been a part of the denominational history of many congregations and other Baptist churches in the area. For a time, it housed Jackson College (now Jackson State University). The current building is beautiful, but the history is even more amazing.

Fondren Presbyterian Church

Fondren began as a small missionary church in the late 1920s. It was housed in a small house called Fondren Chapel for almost 20 years before it held its first service in the current building on New Year’s Day, 1950. The church is a beautiful piece of architecture, but it has a rich history of civil rights activism. Under Pastor J. Moody McDill, who served from 1942 to 1966, the church had an open-door policy. Some members left, but the ones that remained continued to fight for civil rights.

Galloway United Methodist Church

The Methodist Church in Jackson was established in 1836. Although the church welcomed slaves, and in fact built a separate building for them to worship, the Methodist denomination split over the issue of slavery. The church in Jackson was not unaffected. Even before the Civil War broke out, the church was split into the North and the South. During the war, the church served as a Confederate hospital. The building was almost destroyed, but not torn down until 1882. Pastor Charles Betts Galloway spearheaded a movement to rebuild. The current church has the cornerstone from that building. Although Galloway is a young church in Jackson, it has a strong heritage. Today, the congregation is active and growing.

First Christian Church

This Gothic Revival building on the corner of High and North State streets is no longer being used as a church. The First Baptist Church owns the property and had intended to tear the building down. The community outcry led to a change of plans. The lawns are well-manicured, and the building is secure, but it isn’t known what will happen to it. The sanctuary is beautiful, and the stained-glass windows are stunning when the sun streams through.

First Baptist Church

In 1838, a small group of seven people organized this congregation. Jackson was a village of just 600 people. The country was facing a serious depression. It was a difficult time to begin a church. Its first building was completed in 1844, but the church faced even darker days ahead when yellow fever decimated the South. Following that awful disease, the Civil War would further destroy the country. This church served as a Confederate hospital in 1863. When the city of Jackson was captured by Union forces, it then served the Northern army. The current building is an architectural beauty that was finished in 1926.