George Liele was a slave whose unusual talent and leadership ability was recognized by both black and white people.

His master, Mr. Henry Sharpe, who was a deacon in this church, permitted George Liele to visit the neighboring plantations along the Savannah River and preach to the slaves.

On one of his visits to Brampton, a plantation owned by Mr. Jonathan Bryan, four slaves became converted, were baptized and became the nucleus of the first black missionary Baptist church.

Mr. Edward Davis (white) permitted the worshipers to erect a rough wooden building on his land in Yamacraw.

Marshall baptized 45 converts and ordained Andrew Bryan to the ministry will full authority to preach the gospel and administer the ordinances of the Baptist church.

The church continued to hold services, often under adverse and painful conditions, at Brampton and in the temporary building in Yamacraw.

A third meeting place was provided by Mr. Thomas Gibbons who gave a lot to Andrew Bryan for this purpose.

The First Bryan Baptist Church was incorporated by the State of Georgia in 1866, and appears for the first time in the Records of Deeds of Chatham County, September 4, 1793.

He was the first superintendent and was assisted by Messrs. George Coe, John Lewis and James Barr, all members of the Independent Presbyterian Church.

[3] Before the Civil War, and its aftermath, First Bryan's pastor and several church members played integral roles in the emancipation of blacks in Savannah.

Edward Wicks, church clerk for fifty years (1870-1920), was a Union soldier during the Civil War (24th United States Colored Infantry Regiment).

Ulysses L. Houston and James Merilus Simms, the pastor and trustee respectively, of First Bryan served in the Reconstruction legislature of Georgia from 1869-1871 (they were initially expelled in 1868).

U. L. Houston led 1,000 blacks to Skidaway Island, where they farmed and raised crops until 1866, when white citizens regained the land.

The draft of the plan made by John B. Hogg (white), a civil engineer and city surveyor, free of charge, was shown to the congregation.

The style of architecture is almost pure Corinthian and is similar in design to that of Wesley Chapel in London, England, and the Trinity Methodist Church in Savannah, the plans for which were also made by Mr. Hogg and completed in 1850.

A spacious gallery occupies three sides, with the lower audience room provides a seating capacity of 1,500 persons.

The building was completed, and on the evening of January 20, 1888, one hundred years after the organization of this first black Baptist congregation, special services marking this occasion was held for the first time.

Over the hears, First Bryan Baptist Church continues to provide spiritual and financial resources to uplift the families in the Yamacraw Village community.

This building contains classrooms, offices and an assembly hall named for Dr. M. P. Sessoms, who served as superintendent for many years, and under whose leadership the Church School was highly organized and functioned effectively as a Christian education center.