Peter Durrett

Peter Durrett (–1823) (also appeared in records as Peter Duerrett) was an enslaved Baptist preacher, who with his wife founded the First African Baptist Church of Lexington, Kentucky, by 1790. By his death, the congregation totaled nearly 300 persons. It is the first black congregation west of the Allegheny Mountains, the first black Baptist congregation in Kentucky, and the third oldest black congregation in the United States. Its historic church was built in 1856 under the third pastor and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Early life and educations Peter Durrett was born enslaved to his white father, Captain Duerrett, on his Caroline County, Virginia, plantation. Durrett would have learned a variety of skills from his mother and fellow enslaved people. While in Caroline County, at about age 25, he became Baptist and an active exhorter. This was during the First Great Awakening, the revival of the late 18th century when Methodist and Baptist preachers in the Southern United States converted many people.

Marriage and family Durrett married a woman enslaved on another farm. When he learned in 1781 that her enslaver planned to migrate to Kentucky, he asked Captain Duerrett for help. Duerrett's enslaver made an exchange so the couple could stay together, and Durrett prepared to relocate.

Durrett became a Baptist preacher in Kentucky, although he was never formally ordained.

He was succeeded by Rev. London Ferrill, who was also of mixed race. He was a free man of color whose free wife had purchased his freedom from slavery in Virginia. During his more than 30 years of service, Ferrill increased the congregation to 1,820 by 1850, making it the largest of any church, black or white, in the state.