National Register of Historic Places

First African Methodist Episcopal Church

Athens, Clarke County, Georgia
Listed
March 10, 1980
Type
Building
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
80000991

About this property

The First African Methodist Episcopal Church (First AME Church), formerly known as Pierce’s Chapel, is an AME church established in 1866 by Rev. Henry McNeal Turner, and located at 521 North Hull Street in Athens, Georgia. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places since March 10, 1980. First African Methodist Episcopal Church was the first African American church in Athens. In 1881, the congregation purchased the lot on N. Hull Street, the present church location. Louis H. Persley, the first African American registered architect in Georgia, designed the building in 1916. While the congregation's church building was being constructed in 1916 services were held at Union Hall in what is now the Morton Theatre. The original church's basement of the church was used as a school for children and adults. It was named Pierce's Chapel in honor of Reverend Lovick Pierce, a white minister who helped organize the congregation in a building on the Oconee River. The educational center was opened in 1964, under the leadership of Rev. Dr. Clayton Duke Wilkerson. The church had a parsonage located at 147 Strong Street, built in 1921 and demolished as part of an urban renewal project in the 1960s. In 2017, the church received a new pastor, B.A. Hart. National Register of Historic Places listings in Clarke County, Georgia

Location

521 N. Hull St.
Athens, Clarke County, Georgia
33.96099, -83.37937

Categories

ARCHITECTURE
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Nearby Historic Sites

Cobb, T. R. R., House
Industrial
0.1 mi
United States Post Office and Court House
Industrial
0.1 mi
Downtown Athens Historic District (Boundary Increase)
Listed
0.1 mi
Sorrells, R. P., House
Industrial
0.2 mi
Young Women's Christian Association Complex
Industrial
0.2 mi

Questions about this property

When was First African Methodist Episcopal Church listed on the National Register?

First African Methodist Episcopal Church was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on March 10, 1980.

What type of historic resource is First African Methodist Episcopal Church?

First African Methodist Episcopal Church is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for First African Methodist Episcopal Church?

The period of significance for First African Methodist Episcopal Church is recorded as the industrial era.

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