Did you know that in 1868, a small but determined group of African-Americans in Iowa City purchased a piece of land on South Governor Street for $50 and never looked back? You see, in 1868, Blacks couldn’t own property within city limits, so right outside of town – which today is the corner of Governor & Court Streets – Bethel AME Church was started – with the cornerstone being laid on April 1, 1868.
By 1870, a small, single-room sanctuary had been built at what is today 411 S. Governor. That same year, the U.S. Census recorded 89 black residents in all of Johnson County, 37 of whom had been born in slave-holding states, and all three of the Bethel AME church trustees listed on the original deed were born the South: James Howard in Virginia, Henry Boon in North Carolina, and Boston Clay in Alabama.
The first renovation of this small “House of God” followed a mysterious fire in 1923. The next year – 1924 – the church suffered yet another fire – in fact, it caught fire three times in one night – under suspicious circumstances – all occurring four days after a public attempt to form an Iowa City chapter of the Ku Klux Klan. Coincidence? We think not.
In 2000, this little church building on Governor was placed on the National Register of Historic Places, and in 2005, church leaders decided it was finally time for Bethel to expand. In truth, the entire project – from initiation to completion – took a total of ten years to be accomplished. And on August 1, 2015, the long-term dream was fulfilled. The new Bethel sanctuary has 4,000 square feet and room for 150 people – which is three times the capacity of the original building.
Now, over 150 years after its humble beginnings, the Bethel AME community continues to make a huge contribution to our city – taking care of people’s needs while also caring for souls.
READ MORE ABOUT THIS IOWA STORY HERE
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