On May 5, 2012, history buffs will be given a two-fold historic opportunity, according to this article by Bill Clark in the Columbia Daily Tribune.

A three-hour concert (!) will be held in the Second Baptist Church at 407 E. Broadway, to benefit the renovation of the John William “Blind” Boone home, which is within sight of the church. The event starts at 1 p.m. and the tickets for the concert performance by Sutu Forte will cost $10 for adults; $5 for students and free for children younger than 12.

Both the Boone home and the Second Baptist Church were named to the National Register of Historic Places in 1980. The Boone home was placed on Columbia’s Notable Properties List as well.

The Boone home at 10 N. Fourth St., once housed ragtime great John W. “Blind” Boone. He played throughout the country playing what was then a new and lively style of music. He lived in Columbia until his death in 1927. By then, his career of touring to play ragtime music was on the wane, due to several factors including the 1916 death of his most effective manager, John Lange, and the advent of the radio, phonographs and automobile travel.

The Second Missionary Baptist Church was founded in 1866 and the building featuring Romanesque and Gothic styles was built in 1894, according to the church’s website. According to the website, the church construction was funded in part by John Lange, Boone’s manager and Boone, as well as by Judge John Stewart, for whom Stewart Road is named.