East Presbyterian Church: The Forgotten Congregation

Between 1830 and 1850, three churches for “colored” citizens were formed to meet the needs of Buffalo’s

African American community:  1) The Vine Street African Episcopal Methodist Church, founded in 1831,

2) the Michigan Street Baptist Church, founded in 1836 and 3) East Presbyterian Church, founded in 1850.

Unlike the first two, however, East Presbyterian Church closed after a decade and is rarely mentioned

among these historic firsts. Generally, East Presbyterian’s existence and contribution to the community-building

efforts of Black Buffalonians have been forgotten or ignored. This presentation will offer a portrait of the