Reedy Chapel A.M.E. Church

Reedy Chapel A.M.E. Church is a historic African Methodist Episcopal (A.M.E.) church located at 2013 Broadway in Galveston, Texas. The church's congregation was founded in 1848 by enslaved African Americans and, following emancipation in 1865, the church was organized as Texas's first A.M.E. congregation in 1866.[2][3] Reedy Chapel A.M.E. Church was one of locations of the public reading of General Order No. 3 by Union general Gordon Granger on June 19, 1865 which officially declared emancipation in Texas.[3] The annual celebration of this declaration among African Americans continues today as the Juneteenth holiday.

Reedy Chapel A.M.E. Church
Reedy Chapel A.M.E. Church in 2013
Reedy Chapel A.M.E. Church is located in Texas
Reedy Chapel A.M.E. Church
Reedy Chapel A.M.E. Church
Reedy Chapel A.M.E. Church is located in the United States
Reedy Chapel A.M.E. Church
Reedy Chapel A.M.E. Church
Location2013 Broadway St.,
Galveston, Texas
Coordinates29°18′02″N 94°47′20″W / 29.300623°N 94.789009°W / 29.300623; -94.789009
Arealess than one acre
Built1886 (1886)
Architectural styleLate Gothic Revival
NRHP reference No.84001717[1]
RTHL No.7548
Significant dates
Added to NRHPJuly 28, 1980 (updated August 4, 1984)
Designated RTHL1975

The church's first permanent building was constructed in 1863, but it was destroyed in the 1885 Galveston Fire. The current church building was constructed in 1886 and was named for the congregation's second pastor, Reverend Houston Reedy, who hosted the church's first annual conferences starting in 1867.[2][4][5] The church was listed as a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark in 1975[6] and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980 (updated in 1984).[7] The church is listed for both its significance to Black history as well as its significance as a notable example of 19th century Gothic Revival architecture.[2] The building is a survivor of the 1900 Galveston hurricane.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. November 2, 2013.
  2. ^ a b c Julia J. Gribble "Reedy Chapel A.M.E. Church," National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form (Washington, DC: U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service, 1984)
  3. ^ a b "Reedy Chapel A.M.E. Church - The Mother Church of Texas". reedychapel.com. Retrieved June 14, 2022.
  4. ^ "TSHA | Reedy, Houston". www.tshaonline.org. Retrieved June 14, 2022.
  5. ^ "TSHA | Reedy Chapel African Methodist Episcopal Church". www.tshaonline.org. Retrieved June 14, 2022.
  6. ^ "Details - Reedy Chapel A. M. E. Church - Atlas Number 5167007549 - Atlas: Texas Historical Commission". atlas.thc.state.tx.us. Retrieved June 14, 2022.
  7. ^ "Details - Reedy Chapel-AME Church - Atlas Number 2084001717 - Atlas: Texas Historical Commission". atlas.thc.state.tx.us. Retrieved June 14, 2022.

Bibliography

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  • Beasley, Ellen; Fox, Stephen (1996). Galveston Architectural Guidebook. Houston: Rice University Press. ISBN 0-89263-345-X.
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