Marion in Grant County, Indiana — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
Allen Temple
Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, August 5, 2023
1. Allen Temple Marker, Side One
As Black residents left nearby Weaver Settlement for jobs in Marion, Rev. G. W. Shelton began organizing a church on the southside of the city in 1899. In 1901, the congregation purchased the building here. Over 600 people helped dedicate the church as Allen Temple in 1905 for A.M.E. founder Bishop Richard Allen. It became a center for Black philanthropy and activism.
Allen Temple clergy helped found a local NAACP chapter in 1918 and advocated for legal justice after the 1930 Marion lynchings. The church hosted a large NAACP rally in 1929 and Marion Urban League meetings by the 1940s. In the 1960s, members and clergy, several of them state NAACP leaders, organized mass meetings and marches demanding an end to segregation in Marion.
Erected 2022 by Indiana Historical Bureau Indiana Landmarks Friends and Family of Allen Temple. (Marker Number 27.2022.1.)
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Civil Rights • Religion & Religious Structures. In addition, it is included in the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church, and the Indiana Historical Bureau Markers
this page online
Location. 40° 31.692′ N, 85° 39.77′ W. Marker is in Marion, Indiana, in Grant County. It is at the intersection of South Washington Street and East 35th Street, on the right when traveling south on South Washington Street. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 3440 S Washington St, Marion IN 46953, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Central Indiana. It is also in the American Midwest and in the Corn Belt. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture and also the Northwest Territory.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Grant County Veterans Memorial (approx. 0.9 miles away); Mildred Marie Wilson Dean (approx. 1.1 miles away); Marion Branch NHDVS (approx. 1.2 miles away); Marie Webster House (approx. 1.7 miles away); Veterans Memorial (approx. 1.8 miles away); Marion National Cemetery (approx.
Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, August 5, 2023
2. Allen Temple Marker, Side Two
Also see . . . Marions Allen Temple and the Importance of Black Spaces. Allen Temple in Marion, Indiana was not unlike other Black churches in the Midwest or even others in Grant County. And yet, Allen Temple pastors and members pushed their community to desegregate, to increase rights of African Americans, and to stop violence against Black Marion residents. (Jill Weiss Simins, Indiana History Blog, Dec. 8, 2021) (Submitted on August 20, 2023, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.)
Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, August 5, 2023
3. Allen Temple Marker
Credits. This page was last revised on February 23, 2026. It was originally submitted on August 20, 2023, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 373 times since then and 37 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on August 20, 2023, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.
