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The church began when three congregations from Castilian Springs, Tennessee, Gallatin, Tennessee, and Durham, North Carolina, decided that the newly opened territory in Oklahoma was fertile ground for religious and economic development. When they arrived, they merged with a local congregation to form Second Street Baptist Church, so named due to its location in a storefront at Second and Hudson in what would later be known as Oklahoma City. Second Street Baptist opened its doors for the first service in October 1880. The church purchased the building and moved it to a lot on Second St. between Hudson and Walker, and stayed there until 1896. Second Street Baptist changed its name to St. Paul Baptist, then joined with another church and moved to 308 West California. The congregation then took the name Calvary Baptist Church, built a permanent building, and remained on California until 1923. From there, Calvary moved to 300 North Walnut. The church at North Walnut was a central location for the African-American community, hosting meetings for the NAACP, a diabetes detection clinic, graduation ceremonies for Douglass High School, and serving as the rallying point for civil rights marches led by activists such as Clara Luper.