Mount Vernon Baptist Church was begun when the state of North Carolina and the nation were in the Populist era; a time in our country's history when the Populist Party, a political party was strongly advocating such things as government control of certain industries, the levying of income tax and the limitation of private ownership of land. This was more than a decade before North Carolina Mutual Life Insurance Company was founded and a quarter of a century before James E. Shepard would begin what is now known as North Carolina Central University. When the church was begun, Frederick Douglas had been dead less than two years and Booker T. Washington was not yet nationally known. The United States was fast becoming an industrial giant and Durham had seen the growth of fortunes in such areas as the tobacco and textile industries. African-American leaders such as the earlier Merricks, Moores, Shepards, Pearsons, and others were having a local impact.
Organized in 1880, Mount Vernon had its beginning as a mission in a two-room facility on Queen Street. This building was given to the church in 1884, by R. L. Blackwell, a white man. Its initial membership was seven or eight people. It is believed among these were Dolly Best, Isabella Gilmore, Will and Polly Lassiter, and Julia Richmond. These saints had a very rich heritage which went back to Africa, where religion, family, philosophy, science, engineering, architecture, agriculture, education, technology, and civilization began.
In 1887, after a revival in the Masonic Hall on Fayetteville Street, the church was officially organized under the leadership of Reverend J.K. Butler. Rev. Butler then Pastor of First Baptist Church, later renamed White Rock Baptist Church, was chosen as Mount Vernon's first pastor. The members purchased a lot on the corner of Mount Vernon and Queen Streets (hence the name of the church), and there erected the first Mount Vernon Baptist Church in the city of Durham. From 1887, during its location at the original site, eight pastors served the church. In the order of their pastorates were: the Reverends' J.K. Butler, Walter Gray Kirby, Paul Yancey, J.H. Boyd, R.S. Spiller, W.C. Williamson, and J.H. Thomas.
Rev. Thomas, who led in the building of the new edifice, became the pastor when the Great Depression was in progress. He continued as pastor throughout World War II. In 1941 the second church at 1000 South Roxboro Street was erected. It was toward the end of this decade, in 1947 that Rev. Thomas resigned his position as the Church's minister.
Pastor Emmett Taliaferro Browne came to Mount Vernon in 1947. He and his wife, Dr. Rose Butler Browne, served the church for 23 years until his death in 1971. During his leadership, the membership grew from seven or eight to over 1,500 members. Pastor Browne led the church during the greatest period of economic expansion in the history of the nation. It was during his tenure that the Religious Educational Building and Chapel was built and dedicated in 1960. The building was later renamed The E. T. Browne Educational Building.
In 1971, Reverend Dr. Percy L. High became Mount Vernon's tenth pastor. Rev. High served Mount Vernon for 34 years until his retirement in June 30, 2006. During his tenure, Rev. High made significant advancements in the church membership. He maintained affiliation with numerous church related organizations and served as the president of Durham's Interdenominational Ministerial Alliance, as well as Durham's branch of the NAACP.
On August 7, 2007, the Reverend Jerome J. Washington became the 11th minister to lead Mount Vernon Baptist Church. Through his leadership, Mount Vernon is Confronting Untrodden Paths.