Oxford in Lafayette County, Mississippi — The American South (East South Central)

Burns "Belfry" Church

Photographed by Mark Hilton, April 8, 2017

1. Burns "Belfry" Church Marker

Inscription. Site of Oxford's first African American church, organized by former slaves in 1869-70. First called Sewell Chapel. In 1900, the church was renamed Burns Methodist Episcopal Church. The original wooden building was replaced in 1910 by the present structure. The congregation moved to a new location in 1973.

Erected 2000 by the Mississippi Department of Archives and History.

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Religion & Religious Structures. In addition, it is included in the Mississippi State Historical Marker Program series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1900.

Location. 34° 22.04′ N, 89° 31.364′ W. Marker is in Oxford, Mississippi, in Lafayette County. It is on East Jackson Avenue (Mississippi Route 314) east of Martin Luther King Jr Drive, on the right when traveling east. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 710 Jackson Avenue East, Oxford MS 38655, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in the North Mississippi Hills. It is also in the American South

and specifically in the Deep South.

Globally, it is in North America,

a Gulf of Mexico state,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Mississippi Central R.R. Campaign (a few steps from this marker); Freedmen Town (within shouting distance of this marker); Theora Hamblett House (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); St. Peter's (1851), Episcopal

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(about 500 feet away); First Baptist Church (about 500 feet away); Delta Gamma Fraternity (approx. 0.2 miles away); Dr. Thomas Isom's Drug Store and Medical Office (approx. 0.2 miles away); Oxford-University United Methodist Church (approx. 0.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Oxford.

Also see . . . The Story of Burns Belfry. (Submitted on April 17, 2017, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama.)

Former Burns Church (Now the Burns-Belfry Museum and Multicultural Center) image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Mark Hilton, April 8, 2017

2. Former Burns Church (Now the Burns-Belfry Museum and Multicultural Center)

Current use of church. image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Mark Hilton, April 8, 2017

3. Current use of church.

Credits. This page was last revised on April 17, 2017. It was originally submitted on April 17, 2017, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama. This page has been viewed 491 times since then and 31 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on April 17, 2017, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama.