St. Philips Moravian Church is the oldest continuously operating black church in North Carolina. St. Philips is also the only historically black Moravian church in the United States. The Moravians were a Christian sect established by immigrants from the Moravia region of what is now … Read MoreSt. Philips Moravian Church, Winston-Salem, North Carolina (1822- )
Pilgrim Baptist Church in Saint Paul, Minnesota, is the oldest African American church in the state of Minnesota. A group of escaped slaves began worshiping together in 1863, and under the leadership of fellow escaped slave Robert Thomas Hickman, the church officially became Pilgrim Baptist … Read MorePilgrim Baptist Church, Saint Paul, Minnesota (1863- )
Rose Hill Missionary Baptist Church of Natchez, Mississippi traces its origins as far back as 1837 in a shared legacy with First Baptist Church and later Wall Street Baptist Church, two predominantly white congregations in Natchez in 1850. It is however recognized as the oldest … Read MoreRose Hill Missionary Baptist Church, Natchez, Mississippi (1854- )
(Photo Courtesy of Tricia Simpson) The Trinity African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church is the oldest continuously operating black church in Utah. Trinity AME was organized in 1890 by Rev. T. Saunders when Salt Lake City was the capital of Utah Territory. The early date of … Read MoreTrinity African Methodist Episcopal Church (1890- )
St. Augustine Catholic Church of New Orleans was the first black church in Louisiana and the first black Catholic church in the United States. In the 1830s a group of free African-American New Orleanians began organizing to create a Catholic church in Tremé, a historically … Read MoreSt. Augustine Catholic Church, New Orleans, Louisiana (1841- )
Early 19th Century African American Methodists in Cincinnati, Ohio initially worshipped at the local Methodist Episcopal churches, but were treated in a discriminatory manner. In response to this treatment Rev. James King and Rev. Phillip Brodie, after contacting leaders of the new AME Church denomination … Read MoreAllen Temple African Methodist Episcopal Church, Cincinnati, Ohio (1824 – )
“Image Ownership: C.A. Tucker (CC BY-SA 3.0)” Burns United Methodist Church (UMC) in Des Moines, Polk County, Iowa, is the oldest still-operating historically African American congregation in the state of Iowa. It was originally organized in 1866 as the Black Methodist Episcopal Church of Iowa, … Read MoreBurns United Methodist Church (1866- )
“Image Ownership: Public Domain” Quinn Chapel African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church, located in Brooklyn, St. Clair County, Illinois, is one of the oldest still-operating historically African American church in the state of Illinois. Many of the details surrounding Quinn Chapel’s history are uncertain and contradictory. … Read MoreQuinn Chapel African Methodist Episcopal Church (c. 1830- )
Bethel African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church, organized in September 1836 in Richmond, Indiana, is the oldest still-operating black congregation in the state of Indiana. It was organized by AME missionary William Paul Quinn, one of dozens of churches he founded during his life; Quinn would … Read MoreBethel African Methodist Episcopal Church, Richmond, Indiana (1836- )
St. Philip’s Protestant Episcopal Church was the first African American Episcopal parish in New York City, New York. It was also one of the largest Christian congregations in the United States at one time. The church originated from the meetings of a group of free … Read MoreSt. Philip’s Protestant Episcopal Church, New York City, New York (1809- )
