North Murderkill Hundred in Camden in Kent County, Delaware — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)

Zion African Methodist Episcopal Church

Photographed by Don Morfe, October 13, 2019

1. Zion African Methodist Episcopal Church Marker

Inscription. Zion African Methodist Episcopal Church-The roots of this congregation can be traced to 1845, when a group of local residents met to formally organize Zion African Methodist Episcopal Church. With several churches established in the area by free African Americans during the mid-19th century the town of Camden became an important stop on the Underground Railroad. Trustees of the church obtained land at this location in the late 1840s, and construction began on a house of worship. Adjoining property was purchased in 1848 from George Jones to establish a burial ground for the congregation, which was enlarged in 1863 with land conveyed by John Jones. The present sanctuary was completed in 1889 after fire destroyed the original structure. In 1923, the cemetery expanded once again with land bought from William Gaynes. Zion African Methodist Episcopal Church was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1994.

Erected 2008 by Delaware Public Archives. (Marker Number KC-110.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Abolition & Underground RR • African Americans •

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Religion & Religious Structures. In addition, it is included in the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church, the Delaware Public Archives, and the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) series lists. A significant historical year for this entry is 1845.

Location. 39° 7.032′ N, 75° 33.072′ W. Marker is in Camden, Delaware, in Kent County. It is in North Murderkill Hundred. It is on Center Street. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 20 Center Street, Camden Wyoming DE 19934, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in the American Mid-Atlantic,

on the Delmarva Peninsula,

and on the Eastern Seaboard. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region,

North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Netherland,

one of the original Thirteen Colonies,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Caesar Rodney School District (approx. 0.2 miles away); Camden Friends Meeting (approx. ¼ mile away); John Hunn (approx. ¼ mile away); Coming of the Railroad

Photographed by Don Morfe, October 13, 2019

2. Zion African Methodist Episcopal Church Marker

(approx. 0.4 miles away); Town of Wyoming (approx. 0.4 miles away); Morning Star Institutional Church of God in Christ, Inc. (approx. half a mile away); Gov. George Truitt Home (approx. half a mile away); Camden (approx. half a mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Camden.

Also see . . . Zion African Methodist Episcopal Church - National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form.

Camden, Delaware, a traditional Quaker community, is said to have been a stop for slaves northward on the Underground Railroad. Beers Atlas of Delaware, 1868, clearly shows the church as being away from, and separate from, the white community of Camden, and on the west edge of the African-American community. The Zion AME Church established in 1845 and re-built in 1889, has been am important part of the African-American religious and social community of the city of Camden and its environs.

(Submitted on April 24, 2025, by Pete Skillman of Townsend, Delaware.)

Photographed by Don Morfe, October 13, 2019

3. Zion African Methodist Episcopal Church Marker

Sign on the wall at the top-ZION A.M.E. Church Built 1845 Built 1880

Credits. This page was last revised on May 15, 2026. It was originally submitted on October 20, 2019, by Don Morfe of Baltimore, Maryland. This page has been viewed 643 times since then and 23 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on October 20, 2019, by Don Morfe of Baltimore, Maryland. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.