GET GRANTS Historic church gets a $150,000 facelift AdminJuly 2, 2025013 views Beulah Missionary Baptist Church in Natchez has a new look.A $150,000 grant awarded in 2004 by the National Trust for Historic Preservation has made a difference in the appearance, stability and preservation of the church.“When the time is right, the Lord will make it happen, and it has happened at Beulah Baptist Church,” said Johnathan T. Hargrave, a pastor. “We’re so thankful for the blessings of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”The funding came through the Preserving Black Churches program of the African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund.It was used for the restoration of the steeple and the exterior windows of the 112-year-old structure.Other restoration work included the walls and ceiling in the church foyer, said Deacon Robert Morgan. He and other church officials are excited about the project being completed, and they are pleased with the results, Morgan said.Carter Burns, executive director of Historic Natchez Foundation, assisted the church with its grant application.Beulah was founded in 1896 by William Rochester, a U.S. Colored Troops veteran and commander in chief of the Mississippi and Louisiana Department of the Grand Army of the Republic. The church played an important role in the Civil Rights Movement in Natchez. According to historians, it was regularly used as a meeting place by the Natchez NAACP. The church officially organized on Dec. 30, 1896, but its original wooden building was constructed in 1901, according to Hargrave. Unfortunately, he said, it was destroyed by fire on March 4, 1911, and rebuilt in 1912.Beulah was one of 31 churches out of more than 550 applicants across the United States approved for funding by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, which awarded a total of $4 million to the institutions.A dedication ceremony for the steeple will be held at 4 p.m. Sunday, July 20, during the church homecoming service. It is open to the public. NATCHEZ, Miss. — Beulah Missionary Baptist Church in Natchez has a new look. A $150,000 grant awarded in 2004 by the National Trust for Historic Preservation has made a difference in the appearance, stability and preservation of the church. “When the time is right, the Lord will make it happen, and it has happened at Beulah Baptist Church,” said Johnathan T. Hargrave, a pastor. “We’re so thankful for the blessings of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” The funding came through the Preserving Black Churches program of the African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund. It was used for the restoration of the steeple and the exterior windows of the 112-year-old structure. Other restoration work included the walls and ceiling in the church foyer, said Deacon Robert Morgan. He and other church officials are excited about the project being completed, and they are pleased with the results, Morgan said. Carter Burns, executive director of Historic Natchez Foundation, assisted the church with its grant application. Beulah was founded in 1896 by William Rochester, a U.S. Colored Troops veteran and commander in chief of the Mississippi and Louisiana Department of the Grand Army of the Republic. The church played an important role in the Civil Rights Movement in Natchez. According to historians, it was regularly used as a meeting place by the Natchez NAACP. The church officially organized on Dec. 30, 1896, but its original wooden building was constructed in 1901, according to Hargrave. Unfortunately, he said, it was destroyed by fire on March 4, 1911, and rebuilt in 1912. Beulah was one of 31 churches out of more than 550 applicants across the United States approved for funding by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, which awarded a total of $4 million to the institutions. A dedication ceremony for the steeple will be held at 4 p.m. Sunday, July 20, during the church homecoming service. It is open to the public. Source link