Philadelphia celebrates famous links to African-American history
If you want to see one of the oldest black churches in the United States, take a tour of south Philadelphia.
At Sixth and Lombard streets you will find Mother Bethel AME Church, the first African Methodist Episcopal church in the nation.
The historic church venue was a stop on a recent tour of south Philadelphia I took with the Trotter Group, an organization of black columnists. As our tour bus came to a stop in front of the church, we saw the marker out front designating the structure as a National Historic Landmark. The church was established in 1787 under the direction of the Rev. Richard Allen, who was born a slave. Allen was able to buy his freedom. Today the denomination he started has grown to over 2.5 million members in the United States.
“This is the oldest piece of property owned continuously by African-Americans here in the United States,” said Charles Blockson, a renowned Philadelphia historian who served as our tour guide. “The church was a stop on the Underground Railroad. People come from all over the world to see it.”
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At Sixth and Lombard streets you will find Mother Bethel AME Church, the first African Methodist Episcopal church in the nation.
The historic church venue was a stop on a recent tour of south Philadelphia I took with the Trotter Group, an organization of black columnists. As our tour bus came to a stop in front of the church, we saw the marker out front designating the structure as a National Historic Landmark. The church was established in 1787 under the direction of the Rev. Richard Allen, who was born a slave. Allen was able to buy his freedom. Today the denomination he started has grown to over 2.5 million members in the United States.
“This is the oldest piece of property owned continuously by African-Americans here in the United States,” said Charles Blockson, a renowned Philadelphia historian who served as our tour guide. “The church was a stop on the Underground Railroad. People come from all over the world to see it.”