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Effective Monday, June 2, Colonial Williamsburg will adjust operating hours of the Historic Area to 10:00AM to 5:00PM daily. The operating hours of the Visitor Center and Lumber House Ticket Office will change to 9:30AM to 5:00PM. Please visit the Events Calendar to find the daily programming schedule.

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Gowan Pamphlet

An enslaved tavern worker, Gowan Pamphlet risked his well-being to secretly preach to fellow African American believers. He founded Williamsburg’s First Baptist Church, which continues to this day.

A Fly on the Tavern Wall


Gowan Pamphlet (ca. 1748–1809) became the property of Jane Vobe, the widowed keeper of King’s Arms Tavern, sometime before 1779. As an enslaved tavern worker, he would have performed any necessary duties, from preparing and serving meals to guests to cleaning the rooms or tending the stables. During court days in the capital city, he would also have had the opportunity to observe fascinating conversations about the course of the Revolution and the principles at stake.

An interpreter dressed as Gowan Pamphlet speaks to a tour group.

Called, Despite the Risk

An interpreter dressed as Gowan Pamphlet reads from the Bible.



But Pamphlet's Baptist faith was his passion. When, with his owner's permission, Pamphlet was ordained in 1781, he became one of the only ordained Black preachers of any denomination in the country. Inspired by the Great Awakening, Pamphlet preached a message of equality before God. He followed his calling to build Williamsburg's First Baptist Church, which continues to this day. But the risks were heavy. The law prohibited large gatherings of African Americans out of fear of slave uprisings. Moreover, Baptist preachers faced harassment as dissenters from the officially recognized Church of England, even after Virginia's Statute for Religious Freedom ended state sponsorship of the church in 1786.

Deeper Dive

African Baptist Meeting House and Burial Ground

The First Baptist Church is the oldest Baptist church founded by Black Americans. Beginning in 2020, Colonial Williamsburg and the Let Freedom Ring Foundation have worked together to excavate the site and reconstruct the original church.

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Divine Validation


1793 proved to be a decisive year for Pamphlet. In rapid succession he survived accusations of helping to plan a slave insurrection, gained admission for his church into the Dover Baptist Association, and was granted his personal freedom. He continued to lead his congregation until his death in 1809.