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Quest for Freedom: Mother Bethel African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church
The center of Philadelphia's free African community
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Mother Bethel African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church
Photo by G. Widman for GPTMC
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Underground Railroad Connection
Located on the oldest parcel of land under continuous African American ownership, Mother Bethel houses a museum, including such artifacts as founder Reverend Richard Allen’s original pulpit, personal belongings and crypt. Allen preached abolition as early as 1795, and with the help of his wife Sarah, secured food and shelter for newly freed slaves and runaways.
Records indicate that as recently as a few years ago, the congregation still included descendants of escaped slaves assisted by Mother Bethel and its sympathizers.
Mother Bethel A.M.E. Church houses a museum that includes such artifacts as founder Reverend Richard Allen's pulpit, early church pews, and other materials that tell the story of Philadelphia's influential free Black community.
Nearby Historic Markers:
Near Mother Bethel, at 6th and Lombard Streets, stands an historic marker dedicated to the Free African Society, founded by wealthy sail maker James Forten, Sr. and Reverends Richard Allen and Absolom Jones. The Society’s concepts of identity and unity among the black community became the forerunner for the nation’s first African American churches and civil rights institutions.
A few blocks away, at 336 Lombard Street, another marker specifically honors James Forten, who is believed to have amassed a fortune exceeding $100,000 utilizing a multi-ethnic work force. Additionally, he helped organized the first Negro Convention in Philadelphia in 1830.
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