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Bethel AME Church ... 1795-1965, 1965

 Item — Container: 1, Folder: 5

Scope and Contents

From the Collection:

The Bethel AME Church collection spans about twenty years and primarily follows Bethel AME relocation from Meeting Street to Rochambeau Avenue. Included are personal letters from Pastor Oliver W.H. Childers, documents pertaining to the acquisition of Rochambeau Avenue properties, programs from Bethel AME Anniversaries and related items.

From August 29 to December 27, 1961, Pastor Oliver Childers wrote 11 letters to real estate agent George Turville in regards to Bethel AME Church's interest in buying a new church for relocation. The contents of the letters consisted of meeting dates and times, as well the process of acquiring Rochambeau Chapel and House.

Six letters from September 12 to November 20, 1961, sent between Bethel AME, Rochambeau Avenue Board of Trustees and other involved parties in the selling of Rochambeau Avenue Church and House to Bethel AME Providence. These letters were negotiations on price, mortgage and other related financial matters.

There are two handwritten accounts of the Rochambeau Avenue properties, written by Geroge Turville. The first is a list of furnishings in the church. The second is a description of the 36 Rochambeau Avenue property along with the square footage of the church and house lots.

There is a photocopy of a document describing previous sales of the Rochambeau Avenue property, prior to the sale to Bethel AME, with names of the involved parties and the dates of the transactions.

The collection includes programs from the 160th, 161st, and 175th anniversaries of the Bethel AME Church. The programs for the services celebrating the 161st and 175th anniversaries are photocopies. Each program contains histories of the church. Another history of the church is in a letter from Rev. T.C. Walker, written in 1965. The collection has two copies of this letter.

There are two newspaper clippings and a photocopied article included in the collection, the first clipping related to Brown University purchasing the Meeting Street church building from Bethel AME Church. The other clipping is about Bethel AME buying the Rochambeau Avenue Church and House. The photocopied article is from the May 5, 1966, issue of the Providence Journal related to a time capsule found in the Meeting Street church after Brown University had it razed in 1966.

Dates

  • Creation: 1965

Conditions Governing Access

RIBHS staff may determine use restrictions dependent on the physical condition of manuscript materials.

Extent

From the Collection: .5 Linear Feet

Language of Materials

From the Collection: English

Repository Details

Part of the Rhode Island Black Heritage Society Repository

Contact:
600 Mt. Pleasant Avenue
Building 8
Providence Rhode Island 02908 USA