Bethel AME Church papers

Collection — Container: 1

Identifier: MS 025.002

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

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: 1955 - 1970

Conditions Governing Access

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

Conditions Governing Use

RIBHS staff may determine use restrictions dependent on the physical condition of manuscript materials. The materials from our collections are made available for use in research, teaching, and private study, pursuant to the U.S. Copyright Law. The user must assume full responsibility for any use of the materials, including but not limited to, infringement of copyright and publication rights of reproduced materials. Any materials used for academic research or otherwise should be fully credited with the source.

Biographical / Historical

Bethel AME Church in 1795 began as a free mission in Providence. In May of 1800 it joined with four other Methodist churches as the foundation of the African Methodist Episcopal Church; Mother Bethel in Philadelphia, Bethel in Baltimore, Bethel in New York, and Emanuel in Charleston, South Carolina.

They had been attending meetings at the African Union Meeting House, in homes, and in the old Quaker Meeting House on North Main Street, but purchased a lot on Meeting Street in 1820. This first church was set on fire and was destroyed. In June 1839, they incorporated as Bethel AME Church. During this period, Bethel was a part of the Underground Railroad. In 1866, a larger church was completed, which was entirely financed by the members of the church, on the plot of land on Meeting Street.

After a decline in membership and finances, Brown University purchased the Meeting Street Church from Bethel AME in 1961. In the same year, Bethel AME began looking for a new location to continue in. Under Rev. Oliver W.H. Childers, Bethel AME negotiated with the Rochambeau Chapel trustees about purchasing their church and house properties at 36 Rochambeau Avenue from September 1961 to January of 1962. Bethel’s first service in their new location was in February of 1962.

Extent

.5 Linear Feet

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Abstract

The Bethel AME Church collection spans about twenty years and primarily follows Bethel AME relocation from Meeting Street to Rochambeau Avenue, from 1961 to 1962. 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.