SAVANNAH, Ga. – Historic Savannah Foundation (HSF) recently awarded a $10,000 Revolving Fund Grant to Friends of Historical Nicholsonboro Baptist Church, Inc. for a Conditions Assessment Report as part of the rehabilitation of the church’s original 1870 praise house and 1890 sanctuary. The Conditions Assessment Report will evaluate the current state of the two structures and will help to identify preservation priorities at The Historical Nicholsonboro Baptist Church, located at 13319 Old Coffee Bluff Rd. in Savannah, Ga.
Considered a historic property at risk, The Historical Nicholsonboro Baptist Church was named to the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation’s 2025 Places in Peril program and to Historic Savannah Foundation’s 2025 Endangered Places List. The church buildings are among the few remaining intact examples of late 19th-century rural Southern church architecture in Georgia. The combination of damage from the natural elements and a lack of critical maintenance due to the inability to fund the work have resulted in ongoing deterioration.
“We’re thrilled to award Historical Nicholsonboro Baptist Church a $10,000 Revolving Fund grant for a Conditions Assessment Report to support the ongoing preservation of their historic meeting house and sanctuary,” said Historic Savannah Foundation President and CEO Collier Neeley. “It’s incredibly exciting to be part of the solution and to help Friends of Historic Nicholsonboro Baptist Church, Inc. preserve this iconic church with strong ties to coastal Georgia’s historic Gullah-Geechee community.”
Originally established in 1850 on St. Catherine’s Island, Ga., The Historical Nicholsonboro Baptist Church (formerly Nickersonville Baptist Church) moved to Savannah when approximately 200 formerly enslaved individuals migrated to the mainland in 1868 and constructed the first Praise House in 1870, followed by a second sanctuary in 1890. The church was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978. The Georgia Historical Society recognized the church’s importance to the local community with a historic marker in 1979.
“This Historic Savannah Foundation Revolving Fund grant is a major contribution that will help us take the first vital step to rehabilitate both historic buildings by conducting a Conditions Assessment Report,” said Kathy Thomas, Executive Director of Friends of Historical Nicholsonboro Baptist Church, a 501c(3) organization. “HSF has been an amazing partner, and we are extremely grateful for their support.”
Since its inception in the 1950s, the HSF Revolving Fund has become one of the most respected programs of its kind in the United States. To date, the HSF Revolving Fund has helped save more than 420 endangered, blighted, historic properties across the Savannah area.
ABOUT HISTORIC SAVANNAH FOUNDATION:
Historic Savannah Foundation (HSF), a leading nonprofit cultural institution, saves the buildings, places and stories that define Savannah’s past, present and future. Founded in 1955 when seven brave women banded together to save the Isaiah Davenport House, Historic Savannah Foundation spearheaded the preservation movement in Savannah. The organization continues to preserve and operate The Davenport House Museum, sharing its important story with the community, and operates a Revolving Fund to save endangered historic properties, now totaling over 420 buildings throughout several of Savannah’s historic districts. Now in its 71st year, HSF continues to lead preservation efforts throughout the Savannah community. More info: myhsf.org.
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