.gif)
Emanuel AME Church (Mobile, Alabama)
Encyclopedia
Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church is a historic African American
church in Mobile
, Alabama
. Emanuel AME
began when church trustees purchased a vacant lot for their church in 1869, as African Americans in Mobile established their own congregations following the American Civil War
. The trustees completed a frame building in that same year. The frame building was altered in 1881 when James F. Hutchisson, a locally prominent white architect, was hired to design a new facade. The existing building was faced in brick and the facade was redesigned in the Gothic Revival
style. This made Emanuel AME Church comparable to white churches in the city and superior to both African American and white rural churches of the period. The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places
on May 29, 1987, due to its architectural and historic significance.
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
church in Mobile
Mobile, Alabama
Mobile is the third most populous city in the Southern US state of Alabama and is the county seat of Mobile County. It is located on the Mobile River and the central Gulf Coast of the United States. The population within the city limits was 195,111 during the 2010 census. It is the largest...
, Alabama
Alabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
. Emanuel AME
African Methodist Episcopal Church
The African Methodist Episcopal Church, usually called the A.M.E. Church, is a predominantly African American Methodist denomination based in the United States. It was founded by the Rev. Richard Allen in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1816 from several black Methodist congregations in the...
began when church trustees purchased a vacant lot for their church in 1869, as African Americans in Mobile established their own congregations following the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
. The trustees completed a frame building in that same year. The frame building was altered in 1881 when James F. Hutchisson, a locally prominent white architect, was hired to design a new facade. The existing building was faced in brick and the facade was redesigned in the Gothic Revival
Gothic Revival architecture
The Gothic Revival is an architectural movement that began in the 1740s in England...
style. This made Emanuel AME Church comparable to white churches in the city and superior to both African American and white rural churches of the period. The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
on May 29, 1987, due to its architectural and historic significance.