Wabasso in Indian River County, Florida — The American South (South Atlantic)
Allen Chapel African Methodist Episcopal Church
Photographed By Tim Fillmon, December 26, 2017
1. Allen Chapel African Methodist Episcopal Church Marker
Inscription.
Allen Chapel African Methodist Episcopal Church. . Beulah African Methodist Episcopal Church was the first house of worship in Wabasso to be affiliated with a national congregation. Its founders settled here in the early 1900s as laborers in agriculture, lumber, turpentine, and construction, the industries that formed the county’s early economy. Many congregants soon became successful entrepreneurs and property owners, including John Knowles, Sam Caswell, and Thomas Jackson, the three men who donated this land as a site for the church and school. The original sanctuary was built in 1916. It served as a classroom, as well, until the congregation’s commitment to education drew the attention of the Julius Rosenwald Fund. The school fund provided the seed money for Douglas Elementary School, built on this same donated tract in 1927. The teaching, spiritual inspiration, and fellowship fostered by these parishioners helped them defy racial barriers. Members became civic leaders, medical professionals, NASA engineers, business owners, educators, citrus growers, and decorated military veterans. The church was renamed Allen Chapel AME Church in 1943. This sanctuary, dedicated in 1957, is the third to be built on this site.
Beulah African Methodist Episcopal Church was the first house of worship in Wabasso to be affiliated with a national congregation. Its founders settled here in the early 1900s as laborers in agriculture, lumber, turpentine, and construction, the industries that formed the county’s early economy. Many congregants soon became successful entrepreneurs and property owners, including John Knowles, Sam Caswell, and Thomas Jackson—the three men who donated this land as a site for the church and school. The original sanctuary was built in 1916. It served as a classroom, as well, until the congregation’s commitment to education drew the attention of the Julius Rosenwald Fund. The school fund provided the seed money for Douglas Elementary School, built on this same donated tract in 1927. The teaching, spiritual inspiration, and fellowship fostered by these parishioners helped them defy racial barriers. Members became civic leaders, medical professionals, NASA engineers, business owners, educators, citrus growers, and decorated military veterans. The church was renamed Allen Chapel AME Church in 1943. This sanctuary, dedicated in 1957, is the third to be built on this site.
Erected 2016 by Indian River Historical Society, and the Florida Department of State. (Marker Number F-912.)
Location. 27° 44.904′ N, 80° 27.481′ W. Marker is in Wabasso, Florida, in Indian River County. Marker is at the intersection of 85th Street (County Road 510) and 64th Avenue, on the left when traveling west on 85th Street. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 6425 85th Street, Wabasso FL 32970, United States of America. Touch for directions.
2. Allen Chapel African Methodist Episcopal Church Marker Church Building
Credits. This page was last revised on January 2, 2018. It was originally submitted on January 1, 2018, by Tim Fillmon of Webster, Florida. This page has been viewed 295 times since then and 19 times this year. Photos:1, 2. submitted on January 1, 2018, by Tim Fillmon of Webster, Florida. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.
