[2]: 9 [4]: 63 [5][note 1] Madison J. Lightfoot, who had previously helped to establish the Second Baptist Church in Detroit, served as the congregation's first minister, and continued in that role until 1853.

Although there is little concrete evidence of the latter (which is not unexpected due to the secretive nature of the work), architectural features of the church such as its many crawlspaces[2]: 10  and a former trap door leading to the basement[3] lend credence to these accounts.

[2]: 10 The Sandwich First Baptist Church was recognized by the Ontario Heritage Act in 1995[10] and designated a National Historic Site of Canada in 1999.

[9] It continues to function as a church[10] while attracting visitors interested in its history; it is estimated that 14,000 tourists visited the site in 1996.

It is similar in design to other early Black churches in Ontario, with a gabled roof and a rectangular floor plan, but distinguished by its use of brick as a building material.

[7] Other Gothic revival decorations, such as arches and pointed windows, were gradually added, and an extension was made to the rear of the church at an unknown date, though the main auditory hall was mostly left unmodified.