History of our Church

South Main Baptist Chapel was founded in November 1984 by the following founding members:

• Gary D. Vassar, Founding Pastor
• Frances and Deana Vassar
• Bernie and Mary Barham
  
• Angela McConnell (church pianist)
  

The first service was held the eve of Thanksgiving,  Wednesday, November 21, 1984 and was a dinner and prayer meeting in the Fellowship Hall.  

The first Sunday service in the sanctuary was November 25, 1984. 

History of our Building and Land

Our Chapel is located in the Wake Forest Historic District.

From the Wake Forest Historic District USDI/NPS Registration Form

601 S. Main St. , NC - age 1955
Episcopal Church of St. John the Baptist. (South Main Baptist Chapel)

"Small front-gabled concrete block chapel with a gabled entrance vestibule,  and metal casement windows in the 5-bay deep side elevations. A Ranch-style  house with 8-over-8 sash windows and vinyl siding is attached at the rear. It is  apparently the same age, and serves as the parsonage. This was built as an  Episcopal chapel in 1955, but is now a Baptist chapel."

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According to Wake County land records, the Episcopal Church bought the land on April  20, 1917 from T. Plumer Jones and Wife and therefore owned the land for over 67 years and 9 months before selling it to South Main Baptist Chapel. (Book 316, Page 285)

Prior to that, The Wake Investment Company owned the land and subdivided it and sold several lots to T. P.  Jones on February 25, 1913 including Lot 1 which is the lot the church is built on. (Book 307, Page 429).

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The Wake Investment Company appears to have bought several parcels of land to form the subdivision in January and February in 1910.  The land was purchased from S. P. Holding (Book 245, Page 500), R. L. Brewer (Book 245, Page 594), T. E. Holding (Book 245, Page 595), O. K. Holding (Book 245, Page 498) and Isaac Fort (Book 249, Page 4).  These parcels were near a mill, and describe a mill path, a dam, a swamp, a parcel with an old African Church, and being along the railroad and along the road between Wake Forest and Forestville.