Mount Vernon in Knox County, Ohio — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)

Wayman Chapel AME Church

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, May 25, 2024

1. Wayman Chapel AME Church Marker

Inscription. Wayman Chapel was dedicated in 1874 as part of Ohio’s Third District of the African Methodist Episcopal Church. The first Black church in Knox County, it began in 1870 under the guidance of Rev. James A. Ralls. The congregation met in local homes and church basements until completing their red brick church at 102 West Ohio Avenue in 1876. Additions made 1947-1948 included an upgraded facade. For more than a century, Wayman Chapel provided an educational, cultural, and spiritual hub for its members as well as the wider Black community of Mt. Vernon.

Erected 2023 by Kenyon College • Knox County Historical Society • First Congregational United Church of Christ • Shepherd's House Church of the Nazarene • Ohio History Connection. (Marker Number 17-42.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Religion & Religious Structures. In addition, it is included in the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church, and the Ohio Historical Society / The Ohio History Connection series lists. A significant historical year for this entry is 1870.

Location. 40° 23.45′ N, 82° 29.249′ W. Marker is in Mount Vernon, Ohio, in Knox County. It is at the intersection of West Ohio Avenue and Walnut Alley, on the

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left when traveling west on West Ohio Avenue. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 103 W Ohio Ave, Mount Vernon OH 43050, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Amish Country.

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 Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy,

the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

and the Northwest Territory.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Jane Payne, M.D. (1825-1882) (about 500 feet away, measured in a direct line); South Main Plaza (about 500 feet away); Johnny Appleseed's Early Landholdings (about 600 feet away); The Viaduct (about 800 feet away); Daniel Decatur Emmett (about 800 feet away); The Snowden Family (approx. 0.2 miles away); Woodward Opera House (approx. 0.2 miles away); Mt. Calvary Baptist Church (approx. 0.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Mount Vernon.

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, May 25, 2024

2. Wayman Chapel AME Church Marker

Photographed by Craig Doda, October 24, 2025

3. Wayman Chapel AME Church Marker

Photographed by Craig Doda, October 24, 2025

4. Wayman Chapel AME Church Marker

Credits. This page was last revised on November 18, 2025. It was originally submitted on May 29, 2024, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 471 times since then and 22 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on May 29, 2024, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. 3, 4. submitted on October 29, 2025, by Craig Doda of Napoleon, Ohio.