Duck Creek Hundred in Clayton in Kent County, Delaware — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
Byrd's African Methodist Episcopal Church
Photographed by Don Morfe, October 13, 2019
1. Byrd's Africian Methodist Episcopal Church Marker
Inscription.
Byrd's African Methodist Episcopal Church. . In the early 1890s Clayton was home to an increasing population of African-Americans, many of whom were railroad workers. Byrd's African Methodist Episcopal (A.M.E.) Church was built in 1894 to accommodate this growing community who previously had to walk several miles to Mount Friendship Church for services. The land was purchased from Willis C. Dickerson by the trustees of the Clayton A.M.E. Church for 100 dollars on July 13, 1894. The Church takes its name from Reverend Elijah Byrd who served as pastor for both Mt. Friendship Church and the newly established Byrd's A.M.E. Church. The two congregations maintained very close ties and in 1901 they jointly purchased five acres of land from John P. Hudson for the formation of an annual ten day camp-meeting intended to raise funds and provide an inspirational vacation for members. Byrd's A.M.E. Church was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1982 and continues to serve the spiritual needs of the Clayton community.
In the early 1890s Clayton was home to an increasing population of African-Americans, many of whom were railroad workers. Byrd's African Methodist Episcopal (A.M.E.) Church was built in 1894 to accommodate this growing community who previously had to walk several miles to Mount Friendship Church for services. The land was purchased from Willis C. Dickerson by the trustees of the Clayton A.M.E. Church for 100 dollars on July 13, 1894. The Church takes its name from Reverend Elijah Byrd who served as pastor for both Mt. Friendship Church and the newly established Byrd's A.M.E. Church. The two congregations maintained very close ties and in 1901 they jointly purchased five acres of land from John P. Hudson for the formation of an annual ten day camp-meeting intended to raise funds and provide an inspirational vacation for members. Byrd's A.M.E. Church was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1982 and continues to serve the spiritual needs of the Clayton community.
Erected 2012 by Delaware Public Archives. (Marker Number KC-112.)
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic
Location. 39° 17.532′ N, 75° 37.602′ W. Marker is in Clayton, Delaware, in Kent County. It is in Duck Creek Hundred. It is on Dickerson Street. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 131 Dickerson Street, Clayton DE 19938, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in the American Mid-Atlantic and on the Delmarva Peninsula. 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 one mile of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Dedicated to All Who Served (about 700 feet away, measured in a direct line); "First in the World" (approx. Ό mile
Photographed by Don Morfe, October 13, 2019
2. Byrd's Africian Methodist Episcopal Church Marker
Byrds A. M. E. Church was built on the outskirts of Clayton in 1894, by a local Black community whose members had previously then been walking several miles out in the country to worship. The small, picturesque, little-altered Queen Anne-style church stands today as an evocative architectural image of one of the major community experiences of Black Delawareans in the Clayton area. Indeed, since even after the abolition of slavery Blacks were subject to discriminatory policies and practices which prevented their equal participation in the wider society. Black churches became-institutions not only of major but of unparalleled importance.
(Submitted on April 24, 2025, by Pete Skillman of Townsend, Delaware.)
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 567 times since then and 18 times this year. Photos:1, 2. submitted on October 20, 2019, by Don Morfe of Baltimore, Maryland. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.
