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

Inscription. 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 • Churches & Religion • Civil Rights. In addition, it is included in the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church, and the Indiana Historical Bureau Markers series lists. A significant historical year for this entry is 1899.

Location. 40° 31.692′ N, 85° 39.77′ W. Marker

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is in Marion, Indiana, in Grant County. Marker 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.

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. 1.8 miles away); a different marker also named Veterans Memorial (approx. 1.9 miles away); The Wilson-Vaughn House (approx. 2.1 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Marion.

Also see . . . Marion’s 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.)

Allen Temple Marker, Side Two image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Duane and Tracy Marsteller, August 5, 2023

2. Allen Temple Marker, Side Two

Allen Temple Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Duane and Tracy Marsteller, August 5, 2023

3. Allen Temple Marker

Credits. This page was last revised on August 20, 2023. It was originally submitted on August 20, 2023, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 95 times since then and 45 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on August 20, 2023, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.