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The African Methodist Episcopal
Church is still active in the building it built so long ago. The
church established itself and bought the property, titled as the
schoolhouse property, from the city of Lincoln in 1868. The current
building was constructed in 1880.
The 123-year-old building is
suffering some cracking and crumbling of its plaster and other
age-related pains. The church has renovation plans in the making to
make it healthy again.
The Rev. Peggy Senor from
Springfield ministers the flock for Sunday morning worship and
Wednesday Bible study.
What qualifies the property as
a historic site is that it meets at least three historical
significance specifications. The Allen Chapel meets the following
criteria:
- Building or structure
more than 75 years old.
- Architectural
significance.
- Significant historical
happenings: Underground Railroad site.
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article]
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Aldermen Jonie Tibbs and
Derrick Crane, who serve on the mayor's Lincoln Historic Homes and
Buildings Committee, sponsored the resolution to declare the
property a landmark.
The committee began meeting
early in 2002 in conjunction with the city's historic tourism
development and sesquicentennial preparations.
There will be a more in-depth story about the history of this
rich-in-heritage Lincoln landmark in the future.
[Jan
Youngquist]
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