September 27, 2000 – Bethel AME Church – located at 411 S. Governor Street in Iowa City – is designated on the National Register of Historical Places.

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.

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.

READ MORE HERE…

This Day In History is an Our Iowa Heritage blog series that offers you a little bit of Iowa trivia from a large selection of stories on our website. Subscribe to this FREE blog and you’ll get a new email from us daily. Click to learn more.

Click here to go on to the next date…