Allen Chapel A.M.E. Church

Methodism among African American Texans predated the Civil War, with the first church established in 1848. In Brazos County, the earliest known African American minister was Reverend Emmanuel Hammitt, who served under Reverend W.S. South after emancipation, when African Americans were free to establish their own churches. Allen Chapel African Methodist Episcopal Church, named for Reverend Richard Allen, founder of the A.M.E. in 1787, held its first congregational meeting before 1870. Its early services met in brush arbors, and Hammitt became its first minister in 1866. Reverend Charles B. Foster replaced Hammitt as pastor in 1868. In July 1870, the congregation purchased land for its first chapel at North Houston and East 22nd Street. Allen Chapel also served as a school for African American children in 1914 after their school was destroyed by fire. A second church was built in 1920, and the current church in 1961. The congregation has supported organizations including the N.A.A.C.P., Bryan Charity Fund, Sickle Cell Anemia Foundation, Bethune Women’s Club, and the Gideons, and it continues to fellowship with local churches, with proceeds going to those in need. Allen Chapel A.M.E. Church is among the oldest continuing churches in Brazos County and, if a church's formation is measured by the presence of a minister and congregation, it would be one of the earliest organized African Methodist Episcopal congregations in Texas.

Bryan, Texas · United States