The roots of Zion African Methodist Episcopal Church trace to 1845, when a group of local residents formally organized the congregation. With several churches established in the area by free African Americans during the mid-19th century, Camden became an important stop on the Underground Railroad. In the late 1840s, trustees obtained land at this location and began construction of a house of worship. In 1848, adjoining property was purchased from George Jones to establish a burial ground for the congregation, and in 1863 it was enlarged with land conveyed by John Jones. After fire destroyed the original structure, the present sanctuary was completed in 1889. The cemetery expanded again in 1923 with land bought from William Gaynes, and the church was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1994.