Bethel AME Church History

Historic photo of Bethel AME Church in the Lower Hill District (courtesy hillhistory.org)

Project Summary

Bethel AME Church is the oldest Black congregation west of the Alleghenies, having continuously operated since 1808 in Pittsburgh. Urban renewal occurred in the Hill District in the 1950s, forcing the congregation to move away from its original location in the Lower Hill. After declaring 95 acres of the Hill District blighted, more than 1,300 buildings were demolished by the Urban Redevelopment Authority which displaced more than 8,000 residents and more than 400 businesses and churches. The demolition enabled the construction of a highway across the Hill District neighborhood, creating a significant barrier to its connection to downtown Pittsburgh that the community has not recovered from. In 2023, the church won reparations from the Pittsburgh Penguins for the land they lost. 

Current Bethel AME Church (photo courtesy PublicSource.org)

CSP is helping Bethel AME Church with managing the ambitious project of researching the church’s more than 200 year history. This project requires collaboration with other regional institutions (Duquesne University, the University of Pittsburgh, Robert Morris University, and the Heinz History Center) and the efforts of many students and archivists. The Bethel team is working to recover historic records from local organizations that are holding them and develop systems where their records can be digitized, organized,  and stored for future archival research. CMU students will be using AI assistance to identify themes and threads of community history that Bethel can use to tell the compelling stories of this landmark Pittsburgh institution.

Committee Members

• Martha Moore

• Dr. Jennifer Taylor

• Julia Corrin

• Olivia Wells

• Reverend Dr. Dale Snyder

• Reverend Dr. Jennifer McCurry

• Marlene Williams

• Amber Snyder

• Carlelle Mercedes Parr