Former historic Black church tied to Richmond's Civil Rights Movement destroyed by fire

RICHMOND, Va. — A historic Black church that served as a cornerstone of Richmond's Church Hill neighborhood and played a significant role in the city's Civil Rights Movement was destroyed by fire Sunday evening — and the community is mourning the loss.

Firefighters responded to the former Good Shepherd Baptist Church in the 1100 block of North 28th Street around 6:15 p.m. Crews were on scene within a minute and a half, arriving to find heavy fire conditions and heavy smoke throughout the building.

Neighbor Coleman Lucado said he and his family were on their front porch when the fire broke out.

"The rain started. We heard an extremely loud snap of lightning essentially," Lucado said. "All of a sudden we saw a little bit of smoke building and then all of a sudden from our house we just saw flames erupting from behind our buildings."

Lucado said the smoke was visible from across the James River.

"The first thing we saw was the huge building of smoke and the flames rising — it was pretty intense, pretty scary," Lucado said.

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Richmond Fire and Emergency Services Chief Jeffrey Segal said crews made quick work of the blaze despite the dangerous conditions.

"Due to great decision-making and excellent firefighting, they were able to put a knock on the fire as soon as possible and save the structures — the homes next door," Segal said.

Incident Commander Lt. Carlos Samuels Sr. said he was familiar with the building and already had a plan when the call came in.

"I already knew that this was going to be a defensive operations fire, so we wouldn't put any of our members in danger," Samuels said.

Samuels said he evacuated residents from the neighboring homes along North 28th Street as a precaution. He said one had exterior damage caused by the heat of the fire. Another neighboring home had water damage on the first floor.

Fighting the fire in the rain and lightning added another layer of difficulty, but Samuels said his crew was prepared.

"I train my firefighters for scenarios like that. We train on the fire ground in this particular situation," Samuels said. "My team worked very well."

Lucado said he was struck by the speed and professionalism of the response.

"The first responders were extremely quick, did a great job. It's amazing how quickly they put out this fire, honestly," Lucado said. "It's very lucky that we have a fire station about a block away from here."

Richmond NAACP President James "J.J." Minor, who also lives in the East End, praised the firefighters' efforts.

"I really want to give a special shout out to our proud first responders... They fought this fire on the knees, in the air, while it was thundering and lightning. I've never witnessed anything like that in my entire life," Minor said. "They are the heroes. This is an example of what heroism is."

Segal said crews have not yet been able to confirm whether anyone was inside the building. Due to partial wall collapses, crews are using drones and thermal imaging cameras to search what remains of the building.

"We do have collapse, so it has to be systematic, as well as making sure we put drones up in the air and use thermal imaging cameras to check and make sure there's nobody inside the building," Segal said.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation, but Segal said witnesses reported lightning strikes in the area, but no official cause has been determined.

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A pillar of the community

For Brenda Nichols, the loss is deeply personal. A member of Good Shepherd Baptist Church for 62 years, she married the church's pastor, the late Rev. Dr. Paul Nichols, in the building in 1964.

Rev. Nichols, who became the church's pastor in 1961, served until 1990.

"It's just a part of — for me — sad, because it's a part of history that even though we have pictures, the actual building itself has been erased," Nichols said. "We had children in that building. Our children were baptized in that church building."

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Beyond its role as a place of worship, Good Shepherd Baptist Church was deeply connected to Richmond's Civil Rights Movement. Nichols said her late husband was active in the Richmond Clergy Association and the Baptist Ministers Conference, working alongside other clergy to help calm tensions during a period of unrest in the city.

"They went to try to calm the waters, encourage people to go home and to stay at home to be safe," Nichols said.

She said the clergy also gathered hundreds of thousands of signatures to present to Richmond City Council in support of renaming a city building for Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. — an effort that was ultimately successful.

"They stayed active and continued to do so with everything else that was going on to bridge gaps with our relationships with the Black and White community," Nichols said. "I think it ended up having a lot of positive solutions."

Minor said the building's significance to the community cannot be overstated.

"It feels like something is now gone from us. It was a beacon of hope and a beacon of light for our community, especially during the Civil Rights Movement," Minor said. "This church helped shape the future for the City of Richmond during times when it was definitely needed."

Minor said pastors like Rev. Nichols and Dr. Taylor were crucial to the community's progress.

"These pastors back in the day, they were instrumental in helping pave the way for Black folks to get ahead and be successful," Minor said.

The congregation sold the building years ago and relocated across the street, where it is now led by Rev. Dr. Sylvester Thomas Smith. Minor said a group purchased the building and had been exploring potential uses for it, including housing.

Minor said the community had also been working toward placing a historical marker on the building to recognize its significance — an effort that will now take on new meaning.

This is a developing story. Email the CBS 6 Newsroom if you have additional information to share.