In 1816, William Crane and David Roper began a Sunday school [the first in Richmond] for children, which met in the second story of Dabney's Shoe Shore on the north side of Broad Street, between Eighth and Ninth streets.

Others joined in and after a time the Sunday school was moved to the balcony of First Baptist. This caused some dissension and the congregation voted to remove the school from the church building. The Sunday school proponents met and agreed to ask for permission to form another church.

First Baptist voted to declare non-fellowship with the new church, but the group continued on and held its first church service on June 25, 1820, in a schoolroom. The next week the rental of Mr. Brown's house at Eleventh and Main Streets was transacted. This location housed the congregation for about two years.

David Roper led the new congregation, but repeatedly refused to be elected as pastor. At the time he had a full time job working for Judge Boulding. In 1822 he went to work at two banks. He felt he had insufficient time to pastor the flock, although he was willing to do what he could free of charge and continued to do so for 4 1/2 years.

From the beginning of the church until the Civil War, they held Friday night prayer meetings in addition to the Wednesday night meetings.

On May 25, 1821, the church voted to obtain a permanent house of worship and began raising funds. By November 1821, they had purchased a lot 60 feet wide and 107 feet deep on the east side of Eleventh Street, between Main and Cary. Because the group had no collateral, William Crane and his wife Lydia took title and gave a deed of trust to secure the purchase. It was later transferred to the church.

(This was taken from the recently published The History of Second Baptist Church, Richmond, Virginia, 1820-1995 by John S. Moore. Copies are available through the church office.)