Historic Union Baptist Church has been selected as a Tour Home by the Historic Jefferson Foundation (HJF) and will be presented to the public by HJF docents starting on Thursday, December 3. Tours will commence at 3 PM on December 3rd and Thursday, December 10 and cease at 7 PM on these evenings. On Friday and Saturday evenings starting on December 4 and ending on December 12, tour times run from 4 PM to 8 PM. Tour days are Thursday-Saturday over the two-week run of Candlelight.
Union Baptist will be on the annual tour along with the Dotson-King House at 312 N. Walnut; the Heron House located at 307 N. Owens Street; and the Culberson House at 403 N. Walnut.
The Health & Safety Plan may be found at the event website at https://Jeffersoncandlelight.com and includes distancing, the wearing of masks, and the use of hand sanitizing stations provided by HJF. HJF docents will present site information outside each structure with no talking inside and groups limited to 10 members.
As an extra safety measure while in the sanctuary, a brief history narrative mixed with Christmas carols traditionally sung by black congregations will be delivered by members of the Pleasant Hill Quilting Club via a continuously looping video. Flo Stevenson, Oteria McDaniel, and Lawanda Warren with the Club and Mike Gannon of Collins Academy shot, edited, and published the video in mid November. It can be viewed at https://youtu.be/VA7L_6bYVL8 .
The simple and neat Christmas decorations pictured here were installed by Mary Tessi of Jefferson with help from Shirley Reiman of the House of the Seasons.
(L to R) Oteria McDaniel, Lawanda Warren, & Flo Stevenson are video- recorded by Mike Gannon on November 9 inside the sanctuary of Union Baptist Church.