Pritchard Memorial was the outgrowth of a mission Sunday School begun by Dr. Thomas H. Pritchard and Dr. L. R. Pruette in a tent on October 27, 1895, following a month long revival meeting. Later it was conducted in Lyceum Hall near the Atherton Mill and was called the Atherton Sunday School. On September 9, 1900, it was moved to Long's Hall and called the Dilworth Sunday School.
On November 17, 1901, several families from Olivet, First and Ninth Avenue Baptist churches met in Long's Hall over Poole Brothers Store in what is now the 1200 block of South Boulevard and organized the new church, named for the deceased Dr. Thomas H. Pritchard. The Reverend J. Q. Adams was called as the first pastor. There were 46 charter members.
Land was purchased at the present site, 1117 South Blvd, and Sunday School rooms were completed in September, 1902, and used for worship services until an auditorium was completed in May 1907. This auditorium was demolished and the Pritchard Memorial Auditorium was erected in 1926. This building was destroyed by fire in 1981. The present Sanctuary was built in 1969.
In it's 105 years, there have been only ten pastors to lead Pritchard Memorial Baptist Church. Click here for a history of the pulpit at Pritchard.
Strong lay leadership with great vision has led Pritchard Memorial to grow in fellowship and mission during this century in Charlotte's historic Southend.
Additional history can be found here.