- Church
- Early
- 1847
- City of Atlanta
- Location approximate
Big Bethel AME: an 1847 congregation of enslaved Atlantans
Big Bethel, the oldest African American congregation in Atlanta, was organized in 1847 by enslaved members of Union Church. It joined the AME denomination in 1866.
The record
The GHS marker says the congregation later hosted political meetings and benevolent societies, housed the Gate City School and saw Morris Brown College founded. The present building dates from after a 1923 fire. The Utoy church nomination notes, citing Franklin Garrett, that there were no separate African American churches in antebellum DeKalb and that enslaved people often joined white churches.
Today: Big Bethel AME Church, 220 Auburn Ave NE.