Milford Hundred in Kent County, Delaware — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)

Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church

Photographed by Nate Davidson, April 21, 2011

1. Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church Marker

Inscription. It is believed that parishioners of Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church were worshiping in a private residence on North Street by 1859. The church eventually moved to a site on Church Street to accommodate the growing congregation. On March 2, 1895 Bethel AME Church was formally incorporated. In April of the same year, a lot was acquired on Fourth Street from Amelia Brinkley and a house of worship was built. A second building on Church Street, for use as a parsonage, was conveyed to the Trustees by Emma Deputy in 1926. Membership outgrew the frame structure on Fourth Street, and services were moved back to the original church, while a new cinder block building was under construction. The new church opened in 1937, and the original building, known as "Old Bethel", was sold to Joseph Shockley in 1939. In 1965 a new parsonage was purchased on Truitt Street, and the Church Street site was sold. In 1999 the Bethel AME Community Life Center opened on property obtained behind the sanctuary. Bethel AME Church continues to serve the spiritual needs of the Milford community.

Erected 2008 by Delaware Public Archives. (Marker

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Number KC-111.)

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 Delaware Public Archives series lists. A significant historical month for this entry is March 1866.

Location. 38° 54.992′ N, 75° 25.935′ W. Marker is in Milford, Delaware, in Kent County. It is in Milford Hundred. It is on 4th Street. Between West and Church Streets. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Milford DE 19963, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in the American Mid-Atlantic,

on the Delmarva Peninsula,

and on the Eastern Seaboard. 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 New Netherland,

one of the original Thirteen Colonies,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Christ Church (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); Joseph Oliver

Bethel AME Church image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Nate Davidson, April 21, 2011

2. Bethel AME Church

(about 400 feet away); Site of Milford's First Methodist Church (about 600 feet away); The Towers (approx. 0.2 miles away); Site of the Home of General Alfred T.A. Torbert (approx. 0.2 miles away); Parson Thorne Mansion (approx. ¼ mile away); Mispillion River Greenway Historical Sites (approx. 0.3 miles away); Milford (approx. 0.3 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Milford.

Credits. This page was last revised on May 15, 2026. It was originally submitted on April 21, 2011, by Nathan Davidson of Salisbury, Maryland. This page has been viewed 1,327 times since then and 64 times this year. Last updated on October 5, 2013, by Kathleen Black of Woodbridge, Virginia. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on April 21, 2011, by Nathan Davidson of Salisbury, Maryland. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.