Allen Chapel African Methodist Episcopal Church (Terre Haute, Indiana)
Encyclopedia
Allen Chapel African Methodist Episcopal Church is a church in Terre Haute, Indiana
.
The church is named for Richard Allen, who founded the African Methodist Episcopal Church
in Philadelphia in 1787. The congregation in Terre Haute began meeting in 1837 in a small white church in town. This original structure had a tunnel beneath it that led to bank of the Wabash River
for escaped slaves going toward Canada
on the Underground Railroad
. Many of the congregation's early members were freed slaves who had been brought to the area by Quakers.
In the mid-19th century, Frederick Douglass
came to Terre Haute on two separate occasions to raise funds for the congregation. Other eminent speakers have included Eugene V. Debs
and Jackie Robinson
.
The current structure was built in 1913. It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places
in 1975 for its significance in religion, social history, and African American history.
Terre Haute, Indiana
Terre Haute is a city and the county seat of Vigo County, Indiana, United States, near the state's western border with Illinois. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 60,785 and its metropolitan area had a population of 170,943. The city is the county seat of Vigo County and...
.
The church is named for Richard Allen, who founded the African Methodist Episcopal Church
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...
in Philadelphia in 1787. The congregation in Terre Haute began meeting in 1837 in a small white church in town. This original structure had a tunnel beneath it that led to bank of the Wabash River
Wabash River
The Wabash River is a river in the Midwestern United States that flows southwest from northwest Ohio near Fort Recovery across northern Indiana to southern Illinois, where it forms the Illinois-Indiana border before draining into the Ohio River, of which it is the largest northern tributary...
for escaped slaves going toward Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
on the Underground Railroad
Underground Railroad
The Underground Railroad was an informal network of secret routes and safe houses used by 19th-century black slaves in the United States to escape to free states and Canada with the aid of abolitionists and allies who were sympathetic to their cause. The term is also applied to the abolitionists,...
. Many of the congregation's early members were freed slaves who had been brought to the area by Quakers.
In the mid-19th century, Frederick Douglass
Frederick Douglass
Frederick Douglass was an American social reformer, orator, writer and statesman. After escaping from slavery, he became a leader of the abolitionist movement, gaining note for his dazzling oratory and incisive antislavery writing...
came to Terre Haute on two separate occasions to raise funds for the congregation. Other eminent speakers have included Eugene V. Debs
Eugene V. Debs
Eugene Victor Debs was an American union leader, one of the founding members of the International Labor Union and the Industrial Workers of the World , and several times the candidate of the Socialist Party of America for President of the United States...
and Jackie Robinson
Jackie Robinson
Jack Roosevelt "Jackie" Robinson was the first black Major League Baseball player of the modern era. Robinson broke the baseball color line when he debuted with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947...
.
The current structure was built in 1913. It was placed on 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...
in 1975 for its significance in religion, social history, and African American history.