National Historic Landmark · Selma, Alabama

Brown Chapel African Methodist Episcopal Church

Historic church in Alabama. Built 1908. Added to the National Register in 1982, and a National Historic Landmark.

Brown Chapel A.M.E. Church Selma (AL) March 2019 (47980899747)Brown Chapel, African Methodist Episcopal Church (7222972226)Brown Chapel, African Methodist Episcopal Church (7222972308)C T Vivian
Photos via Wikimedia Commons · 6 in the Commons category

What it is

Brown Chapel A.M.E. Church is a church at 410 Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard in Selma, Alabama, United States. This church was a starting point for the Selma to Montgomery marches in 1965 and, as the meeting place and offices of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) during the Selma Movement, played a major role in the events that led to the adoption of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. The nation's reaction to Selma's "Bloody Sunday" march is widely credited with making the passage of the Voting Rights Act politically viable in the United States Congress.

Text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.

The record

Property typeBuilding
Address410 Martin Luther King, Jr. St., Selma, AL
CountyDallas County
ListedFeb 4, 1982
Listed forBlack heritage, Politics and government, Architecture, Social history
Level of significanceNational
Reference number82002009
Built1908 · more from the 1900s
Type of placechurch building
StyleRomanesque Revival architecture
DesignationsNational Historic Landmark, listed on the Alabama Register of Landmarks and Heritage
Contributing resources1 building
StandingYes

The nomination form, the document that argues why this place matters, is in the National Archives: Read the nomination ↗

Visiting

Address410 Martin Luther King, Jr. St., Selma, AL
Coordinates32.4125° N, 87.0160° W · Directions ↗
Also in Selma26 listed places in Selma →
Nearest national park unitSelma To Montgomery National Historic Trail · 19 miles · on Park Atlas
Federal campgrounds nearbySix Mile Creek 6 miles · Paul Grist State Park 12 miles · Prairie Creek (Al) 15 miles
This one you can go inside. Hours and admission change with the season; the website above has the current schedule.

Explore

Map

Local history books for Selma

We earn a small commission if you buy through these links. It does not change what we list.

Guidebooks to historic places and travel in Alabama

  • Iron & steel
    James R Bennett, 2010
    Find at Bookshop.org
  • Exploring Wild Alabama
    Kenneth M. Wills and Dr. L. J. Davenport, 2016
    Find at Bookshop.org
  • Haunted Talladega County
    Kim Johnston and Shane Busby, 2015
    Find at Bookshop.org

Titles come from Open Library's catalog, matched by subject heading or by title.

Reference

Questions people ask

When was Brown Chapel African Methodist Episcopal Church listed on the National Register?

Feb 4, 1982. It is also a National Historic Landmark, the higher of the two designations.

Source: National Park Service

When was Brown Chapel African Methodist Episcopal Church built?

1908, in the Romanesque Revival architecture style.

Source: Wikidata

Can I visit Brown Chapel African Methodist Episcopal Church?

Yes. Brown Chapel African Methodist Episcopal Church is recorded as open to the public.

Source: Wikidata

Where is Brown Chapel African Methodist Episcopal Church?

410 Martin Luther King, Jr. St., Selma, Dallas County, Alabama. The nearest national park unit is Selma To Montgomery National Historic Trail, 19 miles away.

Source: Selma To Montgomery National Historic Trail

Where is the nomination form for Brown Chapel African Methodist Episcopal Church?

The National Archives holds the nomination form, the document that made the case for listing.

Source: National Archives

Are there campgrounds near Brown Chapel African Methodist Episcopal Church?

Three federal campgrounds are within reach. The closest is Six Mile Creek, 6 miles away. Paul Grist State Park is 12 miles away, and Prairie Creek (Al) is 15 miles away.

Source: Campsite Atlas

Is there cell service at Brown Chapel African Methodist Episcopal Church?

FCC coverage maps show Verizon 4G LTE, AT&T 5G, and T-Mobile 5G at the listed point. Coverage indoors and behind old masonry is another matter.

Source: FCC Broadband Map

Sources

Location, type and contributing counts come from the National Park Service's National Register spatial data. Listing dates come from the National Register office's spreadsheet where it carries the listing. Construction date, architect, style, photograph and encyclopedia link come from Wikidata and Wikimedia Commons, matched on reference number 82002009. Nothing here is transcribed by hand. The nomination form and photographs ↗ at NPGallery are the original nomination as filed with the National Park Service, and the form is often the best description of the place. The description under "What it is" is the opening of the Wikipedia article, CC BY-SA.