Montgomery in Montgomery County, Alabama — The American South (East South Central)
Old Ship A.M.E. Zion Church
This congregation was organized by the Court Street Methodist Church in the early 1850s. The latter group offered their 1835 wood frame building to the black members if they would relocate it. In 1852 the church was moved to this site under the supervision of freedman Thomas Wilson, who was assisted by Sol Brack, Solomon Hannon, Emanuel Nobel and others. White ministers served the congregation until 1862 when Allen Hannon assumed the duties. The building was remodeled in 1888 and in 1918-1920 it was reconstructed in the classical revival style.
The organization of the National W.H.O.M. Society of A.M.E. Zion Church (1880), the meeting (1887) in which it was decided to move State Normal School (now Alabama State University) from Marion to Montgomery, and the first graduation exercises of that school (1888), all took place here. President William Henry McKinley, Frederick Douglas, Booker T. Washington, Governor Thomas Kilby and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. spoke here on various occasions.
Local lore attributes the origin of the name to a laborer involved in moving the original building. A bystander asked, "What do you have there?" and the laborer replied, "It's the Old Ship of Zion moving on."
Erected 1991 by the Alabama Historical Commission.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Churches & Religion • Education. In addition, it is included in the African Methodist Episcopal Zion (AME Zion) Church, and the Historically Black Colleges and Universities series lists. A significant historical year for this entry is 1835.
Location. 32° 22.276′ N, 86° 18.711′ W. Marker is in Montgomery, Alabama, in Montgomery County. Marker is at the intersection of Holcombe Street and Mildred Street, on the right when traveling north on Holcombe Street. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 483 Holcombe Street, Montgomery AL 36104, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Montgomery Racial Segregation on Buses (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Racial Inequality in the United States (about 500 feet away); Montgomery: Learning From the Past / Bernard Whitehurst and the Whitehurst Case (about 500 feet away); The Transatlantic Slave Trade (about 600 feet away); The National Memorial for Peace and Justice (about 600 feet away); Civil War - Barnes School / Figh-Pickett House (approx. 0.2 miles away); Kahl Montgomery/Catoma Street Church of Christ (approx. ¼ mile away); Marching On (approx. ¼ mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Montgomery.
Regarding Old Ship A.M.E. Zion Church. "Frederick Douglas" is mentioned; should that be "Frederick Douglass"?
Also see . . . Old Ship African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church. Wikipedia entry (Submitted on March 1, 2021, by Larry Gertner of New York, New York.)
Credits. This page was last revised on November 30, 2021. It was originally submitted on March 8, 2014, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama. This page has been viewed 701 times since then and 24 times this year. Last updated on March 17, 2021, by Carl Gordon Moore Jr. of North East, Maryland. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on March 8, 2014, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama. 3. submitted on November 30, 2021, by Larry Gertner of New York, New York. 4. submitted on March 8, 2014, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.