Huntsville in Madison County, Alabama — The American South (East South Central)
St. John African Methodist Episcopal Church
Madison County
Photographed by Joy Rosales, October 12, 2023
1. St. John African Methodist Episcopal Church Marker
St. John African Methodist Episcopal Church in Huntsville was organized by Dr. William Hooper Councill and others in 1885. Dr. Councill was an ordained elder in the African Methodist Episcopal Church and the founder and first president of Alabama Agricultural and Mechanical University. The first church services were held in a barber shop on the corner of Miller and West Holmes Streets. The church constructed its first building at 218 Church Street in 1900. In April 1971 the church moved into a newly erected facility at 229 Church Street. This church was built under the leadership of Reverend Samuel Shelby Hereford who passed away on April 9, 1971, never having preached in the new facility. Rev. Hereford was succeeded by Reverend Homer Littlefield McCall. Dr. McCall served for forty years, from 1971 to 2011, making him the longest serving pastor of St. John AME Church when he retired. John is currently in the South Birmingham-Huntsville-Bessemer District of the Northwest Alabama Annual Conference of the Ninth Episcopal District of the African Methodist Episcopal Church.
Erected 2020
this page online
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 Alabama Historical Commission series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1885.
Location. 34° 43.961′ N, 86° 35.433′ W. Marker is in Huntsville, Alabama, in Madison County. It is at the intersection of Church Street NW and Monroe Street NW, on the left when traveling north on Church Street NW. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 225 Church Street NW, Huntsville AL 35801, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in North Alabama. It is also in the American South, specifically in the Deep South, in Appalachia, and specifically in Southern Appalachia. Globally, it is in North America, a Gulf of Mexico state, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the original Cherokee Nation, the territory of the Mississippian Culture,
Photographed by Joy Rosales, October 12, 2023
2. St. John African Methodist Episcopal Church Marker
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: The Chamber of Commerce of Huntsville/Madison County (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Rev. Dr. Joseph E. Lowery Boyhood Home Site (about 400 feet away); Church Street Community (about 600 feet away); Passenger Depot (about 600 feet away); Original Site of Lakeside United Methodist Church (about 800 feet away); World War I (approx. 0.2 miles away); Saint Mary's Church of the Visitation (approx. 0.2 miles away); World War II (approx. 0.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Huntsville.
Photographed by Joy Rosales, October 12, 2023
3. St. John African Methodist Episcopal Church Marker
Credits. This page was last revised on November 20, 2024. It was originally submitted on October 12, 2023, by Joy Rosales of Huntsville, Alabama. This page has been viewed 1,024 times since then and 101 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on October 12, 2023, by Joy Rosales of Huntsville, Alabama. • James Hulse was the editor who published this page.
