St. Joseph's African Methodist Episcopal Church | |
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Location | Fayetteville St. and Durham Expwy., Durham, North Carolina |
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Coordinates | 35°59′11″N78°53′53″W / 35.98639°N 78.89806°W |
Area | 1.5 acres (0.61 ha) |
Built | 1891 |
Architect | Leary, Samuel L. |
Architectural style | Late Victorian, Eclectic |
NRHP reference No. | 76001319 [1] |
Added to NRHP | August 11, 1976 |
St. Joseph's African Methodist Episcopal Church is a historic African Methodist Episcopal church building located at Fayetteville Street and Durham Expressway in the Hayti District, now a neighborhood of Durham, Durham County, North Carolina.
Started soon after the American Civil War by black workers, the Hayti District became a well-developed and self-sufficient black community, complete with a variety of businesses and services, including theatre, hospital and hotel. [2]
The church was built in 1891, by a congregation that had organized in 1869, brought together in meetings in a "brush arbor" organized by Edian Markham, a former slave and AME missionary. After building a couple of wooden structures, the congregation raised money for this brick church, including funds donated by white philanthropists. [3] [4]
Edian Markham is buried in Geer Cemetery.
It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1976. [1]
It is now used by the St. Joseph Historic Foundation as the Hayti Heritage Centre for cultural and community activities. [3]