First Baptist Church, Columbia

The First Baptist Church is a historic Greek Revival building constructed in 1856. The church, first organized in 1809, originally built its first sanctuary on Sumter Street in 1811. The current edifice, funded by James P. Boyce, a former president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, was erected by an unknown architect and stands as a significant architectural and historical landmark in Columbia.

A pivotal moment in American history took place within the walls of the First Baptist Church. On December 17, 1860, the church hosted a convention that would lead to South Carolina's secession from the United States, an event that precipitated the American Civil War. Chosen for this momentous occasion due to its status as the largest meeting place in Columbia at the time, the church became the site where 159 delegates, under the chairmanship of D. F. Jamison, voted unanimously in favor of secession following the election of Abraham Lincoln as President.

This decisive vote not only marked South Carolina's secession but also set a precedent for six other Southern states to follow suit before the outbreak of the Civil War at Fort Sumter. The convention's decision underscored the contentious debate over states' rights and secession, an issue that had never been definitively resolved in a court of law. The unanimous vote at the First Baptist Church highlighted the urgency and fervor with which these states pursued their secessionist ambitions.