Canonsburg in Washington County, Pennsylvania — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)

Payne Chapel AME Church and Cemetery

Photographed by William Fischer, Jr., November 8, 2025

1. Payne Chapel AME Church and Cemetery Marker

Inscription.

Founded in 1824, Payne Chapel is one of the oldest African Methodist Episcopal congregations west of the Allegheny mountains. After meeting in several locations around Canonsburg, the congregation built its first church at this site in 1856. In the cemetery, established in 1854, are the headstones of four church founders and nineteen African American Civil War veterans. The congregation built a school here in 1863 for "colored children" that was in session until 1881.

Erected 2021 by Jefferson College Historical Society and Washington County Community Foundation.

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Cemeteries & Burial Sites • Education • Religion & Religious Structures. In addition, it is included in the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church, and the Pennsylvania, Jefferson College Historical Society series lists. A significant historical year for this entry is 1824.

Location. 40° 15.402′ N, 80° 11.737′ W. Marker is in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania, in Washington County. It is on Payne Place 0.1 miles south of Pike Street, on the right when traveling south. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 23 Payne Place, Canonsburg PA 15317, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Greater Pittsburgh.

It is also in the American Northeast,

in the Mid-Atlantic,

in Appalachia,

and specifically in Northern Appalachia. 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

and also one of the original Thirteen Colonies.

Other nearby markers. At least 8

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other markers are within walking distance of this marker: United States Colored Troops Monument (within shouting distance of this marker); World War II Memorial (about 800 feet away, measured in a direct line); Vitro Rare Metals Company/Standard Chemical-Radioactive Legacy (approx. 0.2 miles away); Canonsburg Disposal Site (approx. 0.2 miles away); Veterans Memorial (approx. ¼ mile away); 121 Belmont Avenue (approx. ¼ mile away); Budke House (approx. ¼ mile away); Don Yenko - Yenko Chevrolet (approx. 0.4 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Canonsburg.

Payne Chapel AME Church and Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by William Fischer, Jr., November 8, 2025

2. Payne Chapel AME Church and Marker

Credits. This page was last revised on December 23, 2025. It was originally submitted on November 9, 2025, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio. This page has been viewed 93 times since then and 44 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on November 9, 2025, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio.