Shiloh Baptist Church

Shiloh Baptist Church has been pointing souls to a better religious, social, and economic life since its beginning in 1863. By so doing, we are living in hope of a far greater life in the Promised Land.

During the Civil War, the Union Army occupied the City of Alexandria to prevent the Confederate Army from having a route into Washington, D.C., the capitol. Since the Union Army was not in the slave trade, Alexandria became a haven for runaway slaves (then referred to as contraband). These contraband, along with captured Confederate soldiers, were housed in the old slave pen area at 1315 Duke Street. It was here that Shiloh Baptist Church began March 29, 1863, as the Old Shiloh Society when 50 former slaves gathered in a U.S. government mess hall to worship and praise God. When the congregation outgrew the mess hall, it moved to the nearby barracks. Shortly afterward, that building was destroyed by fire. Staunton School temporarily became the next meeting place.

On September 23, 2015, Rev. Taft Quincey Heatley became the twelfth pastor of the Shiloh Baptist. A new motto for the church, “One Church Advancing the Kingdom of God”, along with a new vision and mission statement was developed. Under the spiritual and compassionate pastorate of Rev. Taft Quincey Heatley, and our blessed First Lady, Krystal Heatley, Shiloh continues to create a legacy on the foundation of its ancestors.