Method in Raleigh in Wake County, North Carolina — The American South (South Atlantic)
Saint James African Methodist Episcopal Church
Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, September 1, 2023
1. Saint James African Methodist Episcopal Church Marker
Landmark
Saint James African
Methodist Episcopal
Church
1923; ca. 1990
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Religion & Religious Structures. In addition, it is included in the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1923.
Location. 35° 47.569′ N, 78° 41.627′ W. Marker is in Raleigh, North Carolina, in Wake County. It is in Method. It is at the intersection of Method Road and Richward Place, on the right when traveling south on Method Road. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 520 Method Rd, Raleigh NC 27607, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in North Carolina’s Piedmont and in the Research Triangle. It is also in the American South and specifically in the Upper South. 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 the territory of the Mississippian Culture, one of the original
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Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Berry O'Kelly School (within shouting distance of this marker); Royal Baking Company (approx. 0.3 miles away); N.C. Colored State Fair (approx. 1.4 miles away); N.C. State Fair, 1873-1925 / State Exposition of 1884 / Camp Polk, 1918 (approx. 1.4 miles away); Memorial Belltower (approx. 1.7 miles away); North Carolina State University at Raleigh (approx. 1.8 miles away); Latta University Site: 1892-1922 (approx. 1.8 miles away); The Graves-Fields House (approx. 1.8 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Raleigh.
Regarding Saint James African Methodist Episcopal Church. Excerpt from the National Register of Historic Places nomination for the Berry O'Kelly Historic District, which includes the church:
St James African Methodist Episcopal church, originally called the Mason Village African Methodist Episcopal Church, was built between 1873 and 1891. Originally a frame structure, it was re-built in the Gothic Revivalstyle in 1923. As such, it is the only nineteenth-century congregation in Method that continues to worship in a historic building.Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, September 1, 20232. Saint James African Methodist Episcopal Church Marker
According to a manuscript of the church history, Berry O'Kelly was one of seven men who established St James African Methodist Episcopal Church, and the land was a gift from Berry O'Kelly. As with the other early congregations in Method, St. James African American Methodist Church met the spiritual and social needs of the community. At times it housed graduation ceremonies for the neighboring Berry O'Kelly School.
Also see . . . Berry O'Kelly Historic District (PDF). National Register nomination for the district, which was listed in 2017. (Prepared by Mary Ruffin Hanbury and Jeffrey Harris, Hanbury Preservation Consulting; via National Park Service) (Submitted on September 21, 2023, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.)
Credits. This page was last revised on September 21, 2023. It was originally submitted on September 21, 2023, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 270 times since then and 19 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on September 21, 2023, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.
