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Abbeville in Abbeville County, South Carolina — The American South (South Atlantic)
 

Henry McNeal Turner

 
 
Henry McNeal Turner Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Brian Scott, September 20, 2008
1. Henry McNeal Turner Marker
Inscription.
Historical Bicentennial marker
in memory of
Henry McNeal Turner
1834-1915
Birthplace: Newberry, South Carolina - Boyhood home: Abbeville, South Carolina
Missionary Pioneer to South Africa, Liberation Theologian, Social and Political Activist, First Black United States Military Chaplain, Consecrated Twelfth Bishop, African Methodist Episcopal Church
-- 1880 --

Senior Bishop
Henry Wendell Murph

Active Bishops
John Hurst Adams, Richard Allen Hildebrand, Samuel Solomon Morris, Jr., Frederick Hilborn Talbot, Manel Hartford Brooking, Vinton Randolph Anderson

Frederick Calhoun James, Frank Madison Reid, Jr., Frank Curtis Cummings, Philip Robert Cousin, Donald George Ring, Reuben Edwards Stokes

Cornelius Egbert Thomas, James Haskell Mayo, Harold Benjamin Senatll, Robert Lee Pruitt, Henry Allen Bestin, Jr., Vernon Randolph Byrd

Retired Bishops
Decatur ward Nichols, Howard Thomas Primm, Ernest Laerence Mc????, Harrison James Bryant, Harold Irvin Deakden, Robert Nelson Robinson

Marker Dedicated at
Saint James African Methodist Episcopal Church
Abbeville, South Carolina
April 5, 1987

 
Erected 1987 by African Methodist Episcopal Church.
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Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African AmericansChurches & ReligionWar, US Civil. In addition, it is included in the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church series list. A significant historical month for this entry is April 1900.
 
Location. 34° 10.667′ N, 82° 22.467′ W. Marker is in Abbeville, South Carolina, in Abbeville County. Marker is at the intersection of Henry M. Turner Street and Secession Avenue, on the left when traveling south on Henry M. Turner Street. Marker is located east of St. James Church. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 205 Henry M Turner Street, Abbeville SC 29620, United States of America. Touch for directions.
 
Other nearby markers. At least 10 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Secession Hill (within shouting distance of this marker); Conservation Cabin (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); This Water Fountain (about 300 feet away); Marie Cromer Seigler (about 300 feet away); a different marker also named Secession Hill (about 300 feet away); First Secession Meeting Columns (about 400 feet away); First Secession Meeting Boulder (about 400 feet away); Abbeville County Veterans Memorial (approx. 0.2 miles away); Operation Desert Shield / Storm Monument (approx. 0.2 miles away); Clarence E. Pressley (approx. 0.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Abbeville.
Henry McNeal Turner Marker -<br>Looking South Along Secession Avenue image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Brian Scott, November 21, 2009
2. Henry McNeal Turner Marker -
Looking South Along Secession Avenue

 
Also see . . .
1. Henry McNeal Turner. Bishop Henry McNeal Turner (1834-1915) was a Bishop of the African Methodist Episcopal Church. (Submitted on September 22, 2008, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina.) 

2. This Far by Faith: Henry McNeal Turner. Henry McNeal Turner's life was guided by a faith in the capabilities of himself and his people. (Submitted on November 13, 2009, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina.) 

3. African Methodist Episcopal Church. Welcome to the Official Website of the African Methodist Episcopal Church, Incorporated, a Pennsylvania Corporation, administered by the Office of the General Secretary and Chief Information Officer of the African Methodist Episcopal Church (AME Church). (Submitted on September 22, 2008, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina.) 

4. Reverend Henry McNeal Turner, “I Claim the Rights of a Man” Speech (1868). African Methodist Episcopal minister and later Bishop Henry McNeal Turner emerged immediately after the Civil War as one of the most ardent defenders of African Ameriacn rights. (Submitted on September 22, 2008, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina.) 

5. Abbeville Historic District. The Abbeville Historic District is comprised of a large portion of the city of Abbeville, the county seat of Abbeville County, South Carolina. Of the 528 properties in the
Bishop Henry McNeal Turner<br>(1834-1915) image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Twentieth Century Negro Literature
3. Bishop Henry McNeal Turner
(1834-1915)
district, 319 contribute to its historical character. (Submitted on September 28, 2008, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina.) 

6. This Far by Faith; Henry McNeal Turner. Henry McNeal Turner's life was guided by a faith in the capabilities of himself and his people. (Submitted on December 27, 2008, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina.) 

7. “I Claim the Rights of a Man”. Speech delivered by Turner on September 3, 1868. (Submitted on December 27, 2008, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina.) 

8. Danny Glover reads Henry McNeal Turner (youtube.com). Actor Danny Glover reads Henry McNeal Turner, "On the Eligibility of Colored Members to Seats in the Georgia Legislature." (Submitted on December 27, 2008, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina.) 

9. Creative Quotations from . . .Henry McNeal Turner. "No one can say, who bas any respect fur the truth, that the United States is a civilized nation, especially if we take the daily papers and inspect them for a few moments and see the deeds of horror." (Submitted on December 27, 2008, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina.) 

10. Find A Grave. Bishop Henry McNeal Turner: buried Ontario, Canada (Submitted on June 24, 2009, by Richard E. Miller of Oxon Hill, Maryland.) 

11. Find A Grave ,Henry McNeal Turner ,Memorial# 14775222. Burial: South View Cemetery Atlanta Fulton County Georgia, USA (Submitted on June 25, 2009, by R. Zebley of Rapid City, South Dakota.)
St. James African Methodist Episcopal Church -<br>South Side image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Brian Scott, September 27, 2008
4. St. James African Methodist Episcopal Church -
South Side
 
 
Additional commentary.
1. Henry McNeal Turner (1834-1915)
In 1834, Henry McNeal Turner was born free in South Carolina. He was taught to read and write, while working in a lawyer's office. turner received his license to preach in 1853 and was recruited as a traveling minister for the Methodist Episcopal Church. While at Trinity College in Baltimore, Turner studied Law, Greek, Hebrew, and theology. Alongside his spiritual growth was the development of his radical political views. As the founder of the African Methodist Episcopal Church in Georgia, Bishop Turner was famous for projecting Black pride in his sermons; he was often quoted as stating, "God is a Negro." President Abraham Lincoln appointed Turner army chaplain -- the first Black man to be assigned the position. After the Civil War, Turner worked with the Freedman's Bureau in Georgia. In the 1868 elections, Turner was one of the several Black men elected to the state legislature who served briefly before being expelled as a result of white protests. (Source: If We Must Die: African American Voices on War and Peace by Karin L. Stanford (2009) pg 92.)
    — Submitted November 13, 2009, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina.

2. "God
St. James African Methodist Episcopal Church -<br>East Side image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Brian Scott, September 27, 2008
5. St. James African Methodist Episcopal Church -
East Side
is a Negro"

McNeal did not lose his political vision; rather, he became the leading black voice against repressive decisions by the Supreme Court, and he took up the call for African colonization. His bold claim in 1896 that "God is a Negro" was meant to shock both whites and blacks into pursuing consistency between inner religious beliefs and justice in society. As he developed this theme, Turner did not mince words: "as long as we remain among the whites, the Negro will believe that the devil is black and that he (the Negro) bears no resemblance to Him, and the effort of such a sentiment is contemptuous and degrading." Unlike Booker T. Washington, who ended his years as a widely respected figure, Bishop Turner died in Canada an embittered observer of black life in his native country. (Source: The Old Religion in a New World: The History of North American Christianity by Mark A. Noll (2001) pg 120.)
    — Submitted November 13, 2009, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina.

3. St. James African Methodist Episcopal Church (1899):
One-and-one-half-story, gable roof, brick church on a raised foundation with full basement. A square tower on the left end of the facade has a pressed-metal tent roof. The central, double door entrance on facade is reached by a double
St. James African Methodist Episcopal Church -<br>Steeple Detail image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Brian Scott, September 27, 2008
6. St. James African Methodist Episcopal Church -
Steeple Detail
staircase. Above the entrance is a paired lancet window set in a single surround. A segmental archway beneath the steps leads to the basement entrance. The side elevations are pierced by single lancet windows with dripstone moldings. Bays are defined by brick pilasters. A polygonal apse is located on the rear elevation. The corbelled cornice has a rat tooth course. The cornerstone identifies R.H. Humbert as builder. (Source: National Register nomination form.)
    — Submitted November 13, 2009, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina.

 
Additional keywords. 1st U.S.C.I.; USCT; Reconstruction; Afro-Canadian
 
St. James AME Church - Main Entrance image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Brian Scott, September 27, 2008
7. St. James AME Church - Main Entrance
St. James African Methodist Episcopal Church Cornerstone image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Brian Scott, September 27, 2008
8. St. James African Methodist Episcopal Church Cornerstone
St. James A.M.E.
Church
Erected 1893
Rev. W.D. Humbert, B.D.
Pastor
Rev. H. Young, P.E.
Rt. Rev. A, Grant, D.D.
Bishop
An earlier Turner AME Bicentenniel Marker, dedicated March 15, 1987 in the bishop's birthplace image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Richard E. Miller, 1990
9. An earlier Turner AME Bicentenniel Marker, dedicated March 15, 1987 in the bishop's birthplace
at the Miller Chapel AME Church; 500 Caldwell Street, Newberry, SC 29108
 
 
Credits. This page was last revised on December 10, 2019. It was originally submitted on September 22, 2008, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina. This page has been viewed 4,183 times since then and 33 times this year. Last updated on June 24, 2009, by Richard E. Miller of Oxon Hill, Maryland. Photos:   1. submitted on September 22, 2008, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina.   2. submitted on December 6, 2009, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina.   3. submitted on September 22, 2008, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina.   4, 5, 6. submitted on November 13, 2009, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina.   7. submitted on December 27, 2008, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina.   8. submitted on September 28, 2008, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina.   9. submitted on June 24, 2009, by Richard E. Miller of Oxon Hill, Maryland. • Craig Swain was the editor who published this page.

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Mar. 19, 2024