Bethel A.M.E. Church is a historic

African Methodist Episcopal The African Methodist Episcopal Church, usually called the AME Church or AME, is a Methodist denomination based in the United States. It adheres to Wesleyan–Arminian theology and has a connexional polity. It cooperates with other Methodist ...

church Church may refer to: Religion * Church (building), a place/building for Christian religious activities and praying * Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination * Church service, a formalized period of Christian comm ...

located at

Richmond Richmond most often refers to: * Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada * Richmond, California, a city in the United States * Richmond, London, a town in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, England * Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town ...

Wayne County, Indiana Wayne County is a county located in east central Indiana, United States, on the border with Ohio. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 66,553. The county seat is Richmond. Wayne County comprises the Richmond, Indiana Mic ...

. The congregation was founded in 1836. The church was built in 1854, and enlarged and remodeled in the

Romanesque Revival Romanesque Revival (or Neo-Romanesque) is a style of building employed beginning in the mid-19th century inspired by the 11th- and 12th-century Romanesque architecture. Unlike the historic Romanesque style, Romanesque Revival buildings tended t ...

style with a mix of Neo-classical elements in 1892–1894. It is a one-story, cruciform plan, brick building with a -story

bell tower A bell tower is a tower that contains one or more bells, or that is designed to hold bells even if it has none. Such a tower commonly serves as part of a Christian church, and will contain church bells, but there are also many secular bell to ...

. The church serves as an educational, political, and cultural center for the local African American community. ''Note:'' This includes and Accompanying photographs It was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

in 1975.

Early Church (1836-1868)

First settled around 1806, Richmond Indiana was at the frontlines of 19th century Westward expansion. Richmond became home to

Quakers Quakers are people who belong to the Religious Society of Friends, a historically Protestantism, Protestant Christian set of Christian denomination, denominations. Members refer to each other as Friends after in the Bible, and originally ...

, New Englanders, and African Americans. By the 1830s, Wayne County had more than 400 Black residents, many of which lived in and around Richmond. Richmond's Bethel African Methodist Episcopal (AME) demonstrates the importance and affluence of the early 19th century Black community in Richmond. Its survival as a political and cultural center continues to serve as a symbol of Richmond's Black community. Founded in 1836 by traveling Bishop William Paul Quinn, Bethel Richmond's Church has served the community for almost two centuries. Early church leaders include Cornelius Overman and George Black. After receiving a lot from Gardner Mendenhall, Quinn dedicated the church in 1837. Quinn became the AME's fourth Bishop in 1844. From 1840 to 1845, the Bethel Congregation is recorded to have around 119 members. Richmond became the hub for the AME church's sheltering of fugitive slaves throughout the 1840s and 50s. Bethel Richmond retains its 1854 minimalist Methodist interior, with simple edges and little flair,

'Market-Marion' Church (1868-Present)

In 1868, the Bethel Congregation acquired an existing Greek Revival Church at the southwest corner of Market and Marion streets. Bethel Richmond still operates in this 19th century church. James M. Townsend, a veteran of the 54th Massachusetts Volunteers and pastor of Bethel Richmond, served as assistant secretary of the AME Church's national conference. By 1885, Townsend had set his roots firmly down in Richmond while also becoming the second African American elected to the state legislature. During his tenure, Townsend attempted to abolish all distinctions of race in state laws. He succeeded in producing a bill banning discrimination in public places but failed to right Indiana legislation. Returning to Richmond in 1891, he served as the Bethel Richmond's pastor for two years before moving to the AME congregation in Indianapolis and eventually Chicago. In response to an increase of lynching nationwide, Bethel Richmond drew up a 1921 resolution denouncing the conditions of Southern States. They urged Indiana's congressmen and senators to draft federal legislation against lynching. The ''Indianapolis Times'' would eventually bring to light that many of Indiana's government officials were deeply involved with the Ku Klux Klan.Clark, Justin (April 13, 2017). "The Indianapolis Times: A Short History". ''Hoosier State Chronicles''. Retrieved June 22, 2021. Aside from an addition in 1892, all exteriors and interiors have remained relatively preserved. Bethel Richmond has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1975. Richmond's congregation is one of the oldest AME churches in Indiana.

References

External links

Black Past.org: Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church, Richmond, Indiana (1836- )
* {{National Register of Historic Places in Indiana Historic American Buildings Survey in Indiana African-American history of Indiana African Methodist Episcopal churches in Indiana Churches on the National Register of Historic Places in Indiana Romanesque Revival architecture in Indiana 1836 establishments in Indiana Churches completed in 1854 Buildings and structures in Richmond, Indiana National Register of Historic Places in Wayne County, Indiana Churches in Wayne County, Indiana