Mount Vernon African Methodist Episcopal Church (Palestine, Texas)

	Mount Vernon African Methodist Episcopal Church
	U.S. National Register of Historic Places
	Recorded Texas Historic Landmark
	Mount Vernon AME Church in 2016
	Mount Vernon African Methodist Episcopal Church Mount Vernon African Methodist Episcopal Church
Location	913 E. Calhoun St.,; Palestine, Texas
Coordinates	31°46′5″N 95°37′22″W / 31.76806°N 95.62278°W
Area	less than one acre
Built	1921
Architect	J.B. Rountree
Architectural style	Late Gothic Revival
MPS	Palestine, Texas MPS
NRHP reference No.	98000635
RTHL No.	8782
Significant dates
Added to NRHP	June 3, 1998
Designated RTHL	1986

Mount Vernon African Methodist Episcopal Church is a historic church at 913 East Calhoun Street in Palestine, Texas. It is the third oldest AME church in Texas. The church was organized by freedmen in the early 1870s. The congregation originally worshiped at a church that it shared with Missionary Baptist Church. In 1878 the church bought 2.2 acres at its present location and constructed a wood-frame structure in 1885. In 1921 the structure was razed and a new church designed in a Gothic vernacular style was built. The church's two front bell towers are typical of the AME faith-based churches of the 1920s. Mount Vernon was the first church to introduce Palestine to integrated low-income apartment housing. In 1968 a 100-unit apartment housing project was erected at 2020 Sterne Avenue. In 1986 the church was designated a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark.^{[citation needed]}

In 1988 it was placed on the National Register of Historic Places.^[1]

The church building closed its doors in 2014 because the building was in serious disrepair and the congregation moved to another nearby church. In 2015, Mount Vernon was placed on the Most Endangered Places list maintained by Preservation Texas.^[2] The Texas Historical Commission awarded a $10,000 grant for restoration, and the congregation raised an additional $10,000 to match the state grant. At that point, they estimated they still needed an additional $30,000 to complete the project.^[3]

In 2023, Preservation Texas awarded the church a $75,000 grant to repair structural issues with the building.^[4] The grant required matching funds, which were provided with $15,000 from the Palestine Economic Development Corporation and $10,000 from the AME Church.^[5]

The building is brick with Gothic Revival details.^[6]

References

^ ^a ^b "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. November 2, 2013.
^ "Mount Vernon A.M.E. Church". Preservation Texas. Preservation Texas. Retrieved September 2, 2024.
^ Waters, Betty (November 18, 2016). "Effort is underway to restore historic Mount Vernon Episcopal Church in Palestine". Tyler Morning Telegraph. Archived from the original on September 2, 2024. Retrieved September 2, 2024.
^ Guevara, Kristine (January 20, 2023). "Historic Palestine church on Texas 'most endangered places' list awarded $75,000 for repairs". KLTV (local ABC news affiliate). Archived from the original on January 30, 2023. Retrieved September 2, 2024.
^ Tang, Lisa (August 3, 2023). "Mount Vernon AME Church receives matching funds for stabilization". Palestine Herald-Press. Archived from the original on August 4, 2023. Retrieved September 2, 2024.
^ David Moore; Matt Goebel (March 1998). "National Register of Historic Places Registration: Mount Vernon African Methodist Episcopal Church". National Archives. Retrieved April 22, 2018. Downloading may be slow.

External links

Media related to Mount Vernon African Methodist Episcopal Church at Wikimedia Commons

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[nris-1] "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. November 2, 2013.

[2] "Mount Vernon A.M.E. Church". Preservation Texas. Preservation Texas. Retrieved September 2, 2024.

[3] Waters, Betty (November 18, 2016). "Effort is underway to restore historic Mount Vernon Episcopal Church in Palestine". Tyler Morning Telegraph. Archived from the original on September 2, 2024. Retrieved September 2, 2024.

[4] Guevara, Kristine (January 20, 2023). "Historic Palestine church on Texas 'most endangered places' list awarded $75,000 for repairs". KLTV (local ABC news affiliate). Archived from the original on January 30, 2023. Retrieved September 2, 2024.

[5] Tang, Lisa (August 3, 2023). "Mount Vernon AME Church receives matching funds for stabilization". Palestine Herald-Press. Archived from the original on August 4, 2023. Retrieved September 2, 2024.

[nrhpdoc-6] David Moore; Matt Goebel (March 1998). "National Register of Historic Places Registration: Mount Vernon African Methodist Episcopal Church". National Archives. Retrieved April 22, 2018. Downloading may be slow.

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