Question: What is the history of the Mexican Baptist Church in Chinatown? When I was young, I went there with my mother.

-- Irma Rangel, Fresno

Answer: The red brick First Mexican Baptist Church at 1061 E St. at Mariposa Street was built in Fresno's Chinatown in 1927, but the congregation apparently worshipped at that location for several years before.

Fresno City directories from 1915 to 1920 show that a house was built on the property in 1917 and used as the Mexican Baptist Mission.

A Feb. 19, 1927 story in The Fresno Bee about the new construction said, "The site is now occupied by an old two-story [wood] frame structure, which has served as the home of the local Mexican Baptist Church for several years. It will be demolished to make way for the new edifice."

The story reported that the new church would be "a Class A brick building, containing a large auditorium with seating capacity for 400 persons."

The church's pastor, Rev. Manuel Madrigal, said "Americanization classes," spelling and English would be taught in a community center at the new church.

Baptist church officials and an unnamed architect came to Fresno in March 1927 to finalize construction plans. The church and community center were scheduled to be dedicated in the fall.

The First Mexican Baptist Church is listed on Fresno's Local Register of Historic Resources, and a congregation still meets in the 84-year-old structure.

Q: In the 1950s, I went to a Catholic girl's camp, Camp Santa Teresita at Bass Lake. What is the history of the camp?

-- Bridget Fornaro, Fresno

A: The Diocese of Fresno opened Camp Santa Teresita, named for its patron saint, St. Therese of Lisieux, in 1937 at Huntington Lake.

In the beginning, the camp was for boys only. "The first year, a large tent was used for a kitchen and boys slept out in the open," Rev. Francis E. Walsh, camp director from 1940 to 1951, wrote in a camp history.

In the summer of 1938, boys attended a four-week session, followed by a three-week camp for girls.

It snowed during camp that summer, and camp founder Father Harry Clinch decided that Camp Saint Teresita needed to be moved to a lower and warmer elevation.

A year-to-year lease was soon signed with the U.S. Forest Service for property at the north end of Bass Lake. In fall 1938, the diocese built camp buildings, and about 100 boys arrived for camp in June 1939.

"Electricity was not available the first year" at Bass Lake, Walsh said, "so gasoline lanterns had to be used."

The boys camp was staffed by young men attending seminary, while local college coeds were counselors for the girls camp.

New buildings and other improvements were added while Walsh was camp director. The camp capacity grew to 120.

In addition to daily Mass, Camp Santa Teresita offered traditional summer camp activities, including hiking, swimming, archery, horseback riding, fishing, nature study, crafts, Indian lore, sports and games, campfires, overnight canoe trips to the other end of Bass Lake and three-day pack trips.

The camp closed in 1969. An article in a diocese publication said competition from summer school, Little League and family vacations had reduced the number of campers. Also, seminary students wanted to work in parishes rather than be camp counselors. Rising costs led to a $10,000 deficit by the mid-1960s.

The diocese expects to open a new youth center, named in honor of the former Santa Teresita campground, in Three Rivers next spring, said Peggy Stewart, director of religious education at Our Lady of the Sierra Catholic Church in Oakhurst.

Q: What is the early history of the North Avenue Community Center?

-- Dorothy Smith, Fresno, North Avenue Community Center reunion organizer

A: The North Avenue Community Center, at North Avenue between Elm and Fig avenues, was started in 1949 by the Church of the Brethren to provide services for several hundred families in west Fresno, many of whom were farmworkers.

The center was "hailed by many as an example of Christianity in action," according to a Fresno Bee story. It was on donated land and built by community residents.

The center was staffed by volunteers and also conscientious objectors working for $7.50 a month, plus room and board, in lieu of military service.

The center provided after-school clubs, where children earned points toward summer camp or field trips by helping neighborhood seniors, cleaning yards or painting fences.

There were adult literacy classes, counselors, preschool arts and crafts, dances, a Girl Scout troop, 10-cent family movies on Friday nights, dances, parades and picnics in the summer and sewing and cooking classes.

The Church of the Brethren phased out its support in the mid-1960s, as federal War on Poverty funds became available. Neighborhood black leaders took over running the center and serving on its board of directors.

The center, successful but dilapidated, closed in 1973 and was replaced in 1974 by the nearby Ivy Community Center at 1350 E. Annadale. In 2006, the center was renamed to honor the late Mary Ella Brown for her work with children and community groups in west Fresno.