St. Mark's AME Church

St. Mark's African Methodist Episcopal Church, located in the Historic North Topeka.

NPS Photo

Quick Facts

Location:

801 NW Harrison St, Topeka, KS 66608

Significance:

First African American Methodist Episcopal Church established in Topeka

MANAGED BY:

Saint Mark AME Church

Amenities

1 listed

Parking - Auto

The first African American Methodist Episcopal Church was established in Topeka in 1878. St. Mark’s AME Church was built in 1920. Oliver Brown attended the church during the time of the Brown v. Board of Education case. In 1953, Brown became associate pastor of the church, serving until 1959. It was in this church that Rev. Brown first heard of the victory of the Supreme Court’s decision. Rev. Brown gave his only film television interview in the church’s sanctuary.

Equality and social activism have been cornerstones of the African American Methodist Episcopal Church since it was formed in 1787 by black congregants forced out of a Philadelphia church because of their race. In the 19th century, church leaders and members were often in the forefront of the antislavery movement. A number of black abolitionists, including Frederick Douglass, Harriet Tubman, and Sojourner Truth, were members of the AME Church. Many of the denomination’s clergy and lay people later became activists and participants in the Civil Rights Movement of the 20th century. Rosa Parks, who helped ignite the modern Civil Rights Movement when she refused to relinquish her seat to a white man aboard a city bus in Montgomery, Alabama, in 1955, remained a devout member of the AME Church throughout her life. Rev. Joseph A. DeLaine endured death threats and saw his home burned to the ground when he and other African Americans sought to secure equal educational opportunities for the black children in Clarendon County, South Carolina, during the Briggs v. Elliot case.

• St. Mark's AME Church

  
  

  Equality and social activism have been cornerstones of the African American Methodist Episcopal Church since it was formed in 1787, St. Mark's AME Church is no exception to this fact.

  Date created:

  06/02/2023

  Audio Transcript

  The first African American Methodist Episcopal Church was established in Topeka in 1878. St. Mark’s AME Church was built in 1920. Oliver Brown attended the church during the time of the Brown v. Board of Education case. In 1953, Brown became associate pastor of the church, serving until 1959. It was in this church that Rev. Brown first heard of the victory of the Supreme Court’s decision. Rev. Brown gave his only film television interview in the church’s sanctuary.

  Equality and social activism have been cornerstones of the African American Methodist Episcopal Church since it was formed in 1787 by black congregants forced out of a Philadelphia church because of their race. In the 19th century, church leaders and members were often in the forefront of the antislavery movement. A number of black abolitionists, including Frederick Douglass, Harriet Tubman, and Sojourner Truth, were members of the AME Church. Many of the denomination’s clergy and lay people later became activists and participants in the Civil Rights Movement of the 20th century. Rosa Parks, who helped ignite the modern Civil Rights Movement when she refused to relinquish her seat to a white man aboard a city bus in Montgomery, Alabama, in 1955, remained a devout member of the AME Church throughout her life. Rev. Joseph A. DeLaine endured death threats and saw his home burned to the ground when he and other African Americans sought to secure equal educational opportunities for the black children in Clarendon County, South Carolina, during the Briggs v. Elliot case.