Downtown in Little Rock in Pulaski County, Arkansas — The American South (West South Central)
Bishop Charles Harrison Mason
Photographed By Ashley Sides, November 10, 2021
1. Bishop Charles Harrison Mason Marker
Charles Harrison Mason, founder of the Church of God in Christ (COGIC), was born in the mid-1860s on a farm in Shelby County, Tennessee. His parents, Jeremiah and Eliza Mason, later moved the family to Plumerville, Arkansas where Mason was baptized as a teenager in the Baptist Church. Mason first preached in Preston, Arkansas and graduated from Arkansas Baptist College Minister’s Institute. Doctrinal differences led to Mason’s dismissal from Baptist ministry, but he continued to preach throughout Arkansas, Mississippi and Tennessee. In 1897, near this location, Mason received a revelation: he was to name his new denomination the Church of God in Christ.
In 1907, Mason officially organized COGIC as a Pentecostal denomination. In 1945 in Memphis, Tennessee, the Mason Temple was completed; it serves as the church’s headquarters. Throughout his career, Charles Harrison Mason was known for his support of racial unity, pacifism, education, civil rights and women in the ministry. He died on November 17, 1961 in Detroit, Michigan and is interred in the Mason Temple. As of 2021, the Church of God in Christ is one of the largest Pentecostal denominations in the United States, with an estimated worldwide membership of 6 million people.
Erected 2021 by Arkansas Heritage; Pentecostal Heritage
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Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Churches & Religion. A significant historical year for this entry is 1897.
Location. 34° 44.537′ N, 92° 16.725′ W. Marker is in Little Rock, Arkansas, in Pulaski County. It is in Downtown. Marker is at the intersection of South Gaines Street and West 8th Street on South Gaines Street. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 718 S Gaines St, Little Rock AR 72201, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. First Missionary Baptist Church (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Taborian Hall (about 600 feet away); Max Henry Aronson – The First Cowboy-Western Movie Star (approx. ¼ mile away); First United Methodist Church (approx. ¼ mile away); Arkansas in the Battle of New Market (approx. 0.4 miles away); Cathedral of St. Andrew (approx. 0.4 miles away); LaFayette Hotel (approx. 0.4 miles away); The Second Sarlo Cottage (approx. 0.4 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Little Rock.
Additional commentary.
1. About the Church of God in Christ (COGIC)
While the Church of God in Christ welcomes all, its adherents in the United States have been of predominantly African American heritage.
Photographed By Ashley Sides, November 10, 2021
2. Bishop Charles Harrison Mason Marker
Credits. This page was last revised on February 10, 2023. It was originally submitted on September 30, 2022, by Ashley Sides of Little Rock, Arkansas. This page has been viewed 181 times since then and 31 times this year. Last updated on September 30, 2022, by Ashley Sides of Little Rock, Arkansas. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on September 30, 2022, by Ashley Sides of Little Rock, Arkansas. • Mark Hilton was the editor who published this page.
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