Founded in 1900, Second Baptist was more than a place of worship. It was a center of community life, mutual aid and opportunity for Boulder’s small but determined Black population. Its story is deeply connected to the broader history of Black self-determination in the American West.
The story of Second Baptist begins with Mrs. Daisy Horne, born Desdemona Scruggs in Kentucky in 1867. As a child, Daisy moved with her family to Nicodemus, Kansas — an all-Black colony founded by formerly enslaved families seeking freedom, land and opportunity in the West.
In Nicodemus, settlers quickly built a church and school, creating the institutions they needed to thrive. Growing up in that environment, Daisy learned the power of community action. After moving to Boulder and losing her husband to tuberculosis in 1900, she began organizing what would become the Second Baptist Church—creating a support network for her family and others.
At the time Boulder’s Black population was small — never more than about one to two percent of the total population. In 1910, there were 166 Black residents. There was already one Black church in town, Allen Chapel of the African Methodist Episcopal Church, and the two congregations shared social events, music and family ties, forming a strong foundation of Boulder’s Black social and cultural life.
In 1908, church trustees purchased their first building at 24th and Pearl streets. Members lived throughout Boulder, from North Street to Goss Grove, reflecting a community woven across the city.
The survival and growth of Second Baptist Church reflects the same spirit that sustained Nicodemus: families and neighbors working together to create the institutions they need. During Black History Month, we honor the perseverance, leadership and vision of Boulder’s Black residents—whose faith and determination helped the Second Baptist Church survive in the early days, and continue to thrive today.
Learn more about the founding of the early church in the video above.
