Mount Vernon African Methodist Episcopal Church (Palestine, Texas)
Mount Vernon African Methodist Episcopal Church is a historic church at 913 East Calhoun Street in Palestine, Texas. It is the third oldest AME church in Texas. The church was organized by freedmen in the early 1870s. The congregation originally worshiped at a church that it shared with Missionary Baptist Church. In 1878 the church bought 2.2 acres at its present location and constructed a wood frame structure in 1885. In 1921 the structure was razed and a new church designed in a Gothic vernacular style was built. The church's two front bell towers are typical of the AME faith-based churches of the 1920s. Mount Vernon was the first church to introduce Palestine to integrated low-income apartment housing. In 1968 a 100-unit apartment housing project was erected at 2020 Sterne Avenue. In 1986 the church was designated a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark.
Mount Vernon African Methodist Episcopal Church | |
.jpg.webp) Mount Vernon AME Church in 2016 | |
  Mount Vernon African Methodist Episcopal Church  Mount Vernon African Methodist Episcopal Church | |
| Location | 913 E. Calhoun St., Palestine, Texas |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 31°46′5″N 95°37′22″W |
| Area | less than one acre |
| Built | 1921 |
| Architect | J.B. Rountree |
| Architectural style | Late Gothic Revival |
| MPS | Palestine, Texas MPS |
| NRHP reference No. | 98000635[1] |
| RTHL No. | 8782 |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | June 3, 1998 |
| Designated RTHL | 1986 |
In 1988 it was placed on the National Register of Historic Places.[1]
The church closed its doors in 2014. In 2015, Mount Vernon was placed on Preservation Texas' Most Endangered places list.
The building is brick with Gothic Revival details.[2]
See also
References
- "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. November 2, 2013.
- David Moore; Matt Goebel (March 1998). "National Register of Historic Places Registration: Mount Vernon African Methodist Episcopal Church". National Archives. Retrieved April 22, 2018. Downloading may be slow.
External links
Media related to Mount Vernon African Methodist Episcopal Church at Wikimedia Commons
