Central Baptist Church, Oregon District Records

The Central Baptist Church, Oregon District was founded in the mid-1840s. Initially, the congregation met in the Old Dunkard Church, then moved temporarily to the upstairs of the rented engine house on the corner of Sixth and Tecumseh Streets. They worshiped here until the basement of a new church was completed. The first minister was Brother Gorman, a student in the Lane Seminary, Walnut Hills, Cincinnati. He preached his first sermon in the Old Dunkard Church and his pastorate lasted until 1852 when he resigned to go to New Mexico to work for the Home Mission Society.

In the spring of 1849, twenty-eight baptized members and twenty-five members of the First Church formed the Wayne Street Baptist Church and plans were immediately made for a new building. Land was given by E. Thresher on the northeast corner of Wayne Avenue and Fifth Street and construction began. During the first twenty-five years of this church, the members dealt with a great deal of turmoil which finally ended in disbandment. Not long after that the church was destroyed by fire.

On November 12, 1878, the Central Baptist Church at the corner of Clay and Van Buren Streets was organized as a mission. In 1879 the Baptist Union invited Reverend H.H. Bawden to be the minister of the Central Baptist Mission, a position he held for seven years. Under his pastorate, construction of the existing structure began in 1881 and was completed at a cost of $14,000. The building was dedicated on May 4, 1882.

Reverend Bawden was replaced by Reverend J.P. Ogenbroad, who was replaced on April 1, 1886 by Reverend J.W. Icenbarger. Under Rev. Icenbarger the Central Baptist Mission was formally recognized as the Central Baptist Church on August 28, 1889.

In 1979 a plan to convert the church into seven condominiums was proposed to Dayton's Historic Architecture Committee. In August of 1982, another proposal to turn the church into condos was made by the Endeco Corporation. The church is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.