Third Street Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church in the Jackson Ward District of Richmond, Virginia

HISTORIC JACKSON WARD WALKING TOUR

STOP 4: THIRD STREET BETHEL AME CHURCH

See the Jackson Ward Walking Tour web page for a map of tour stop locations.

Corner of Jackson and 3rd Streets

The original congregation of the Third Street Bethel AME Church was formed by free blacks who belonged to the white congregation of Trinity Methodist Episcopal Church on Franklin Street. Because they could only worship from the balcony, they formed their own sub-congregation. White church members purchased the land at 3rd and Jackson in the early 1850s, and the black congregation was allowed to construct its own church on this land.

The original church—the narrow building with the twin towers—was completed in 1856. However, it was still part of Trinity and was run by a white minister. In 1867, it became part of the African Methodist Episcopal Church, though it wasn’t until 1874 that the congregation finally purchased the building and land from Trinity for $1. The addition to the left of the main church, the Bethel Center, was constructed between 2001 and 2003.

Across 3rd Street from the church is the home of John Mitchell, Jr., a prominent black businessman from the Richmond area. He ran the Richmond Planet newspaper from 1884 until 1929 and founded the Mechanics Savings Bank. His home was moved to this location from the 500 block of 3rd Street for preservation purposes.