Editorial - August 2003

Give Moore’s Chapel its place in history

Published August 6, 2003

Lincoln County citizens like to remember the people and places that held prominent roles in history and accord them with appropriate markers and remembrances. One such historic place has to be Moore’s Chapel AME Zion Church on East Main Street, the first African American Church built here. But that church, originally established in 1898, may have to be demolished because of its very deteriorated condition.

It is a historic site, though the building itself was destroyed by fire in 1941 and replaced with the present structure. The church, which offers a striking image with its truncated corner towers, now stands vacant and deteriorating as church members consider some tough choices. Rebuild it at a huge cost, $1.5 million according to one estimate, or tear it down and build a new church.

The history of the church dates back to a small unaffiliated congregation that worshipped in a house in Lincolnton in 1863, according to the 1986 publication “Our Enduring Past.” The congregation grew rapidly following the war, and in 1869 Bishop John J. Moore persuaded it to join with the A.M.E. Zion Church. The church was built at the site of the present church in the center of the black community, then known as Freedman.

If the church is replaced, as the present church congregation has now proposed, much of the old brick would be used. The proposed design resembles the old building and stained glass windows, and the original altar would be installed. The church would remain at 1009 E. Main St.

The congregation has been holding fund-raisers to earn the money for the new church. But some members of the community have understandably expressed an interest in preserving the old structure.

The pastor, the Rev. Ralph Williamson, said he and members of his congregation are ready to hear what people have to say.

A community meeting will be held at 7:30 tonight at Oaklawn Center. Members of the community will be asked to express their feelings about the future of Moore’s Chapel. But Williamson cautions that words will not be able to save the church.

“If the community wants to restore the church for historic preservation, we would need incredible support,” he says. “We as a congregation appreciate the history, but we don’t have the resources.”

Does Lincoln County have the resources? Does the state of North Carolina have funds to restore this landmark? Those who can address such questions need to step up to the plate, now.

It may be that the renovation is impractical because of the structure’s present state of deterioration. A replacement church, with momentos of the original, may be the best that can be accomplished. But we urge the congregation, the pastor and those who care about the history of our community to do everything possible to preserve this site as the sacred relic that it is.

© 2001 Lincoln Times-News  

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