| The
Michigan Street Baptist Church, erected in 1845 by its African American congregation,
has been a central part of the African American community in Buffalo's history
and culture of for more than 150 years. It's one of the oldest properties in the
region continuously owned, operated and occupied by African Americans. The
building was an important Underground Railroad station, providing safehaven for
hundreds of freedom seekers. They were hidden in a concealed area of the basement
before crossing the Niagara River to Canada by darkness of night. The
Michigan Street Baptist Church was also a central meeting place for abolitionists
and later for anti-lynching activists during the early 1900s. Over the years,
luminaries such as Frederick Douglass, William Wells Brown, W.E.B. DuBois Henry
Highland Garnet, Martin Delany, and Booker T. Washington were among those that
have graced its sanctuary. Mary
B. Talbert, an active parishioner, lived two doors from the church at 521 Michigan
Avenue. Mrs. Talbert earned a national reputation as a reform activist. In 1905
W.E.B. DuBois and other prominent African American leaders met at Mrs. Talbert's
home and adopted the resolutions that led to the founding of the Niagara Movement. | 
