Buffalo Place

Michigan Street Baptist Church
511 Michigan Street
Buffalo, New York 14203

The Michigan Street Baptist Church was the first Black church of any denomination in the City of Buffalo. The cornerstone of the church was placed in June of 1845 and the church reached completion in 1849. The Michigan Street Baptist Church served as a stop on the Underground Railroad in the years prior to the Civil War. Fugitive slaves were hidden in the basement of the church before being ferried across the Niagara River to Canada. The Church celebrated their final service on February 24, 1962. The Michigan Street Preservation Corporation is working to restore and preserve the site as a community landmark. This building is on the National Register of Historic Places.