Back in 1954, Jim Jones was an up-and-coming Pentecostal-style bible thumper. After leaving the Methodist church because of their intolerance of African Americans, Jones had taken to selling monkeys door-to-door to raise money for his first ministry.
Established in 1955, the Community Unity Church rented a space for their congregation in the basement of this address. The following year, the church grew large enough for their own building at 975 N. Delaware, which became the first People's Temple.
