National Historic Landmark · chapel · Alcorn, Mississippi

Oakland Chapel

Historic church in Mississippi. Built 1838. Added to the National Register in 1974, and a National Historic Landmark.

Open to visit National Historic Landmark Built 1838 Listed 1974 Greek Revival architecture

Photos via Wikimedia Commons · 4 in the Commons category

What it is

Oakland Memorial Chapel is a historic church and academic building on the campus of Alcorn State University in rural southwestern Claiborne County, Mississippi. Built in 1838 as part of Oakland College, it is one of the oldest surviving buildings at Alcorn State, which took over that defunct school's campus after the American Civil War. Alcorn State was the first land grant university established specifically for the education of African Americans. The chapel was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1976, and a Mississippi Landmark in 1985.

Text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.

The record

Property type	Building
Address	Alcorn State University campus, Alcorn, MS
County	Claiborne County
Listed	Dec 27, 1974
Listed for	Black heritage, Education, Architecture
Level of significance	National
Also known as	Oakland Memorial Chapel, Alcorn University
Reference number	74001057
Built	1838 · more from the 1830s
Type of place	chapel
Style	Greek Revival architecture
Designations	National Historic Landmark, National Register of Historic Places contributing property, Mississippi Landmark, local landmark of Mississippi
Contributing resources	1 building

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

Visiting

Address	Alcorn State University campus, Alcorn, MS
Coordinates	31.8760° N, 91.1395° W · Directions ↗
Nearest national park unit	Natchez National Historical Park · 27 miles · on Park Atlas
Federal campgrounds nearby	Rocky Springs Campground, Milepost 54.8 25 miles · Clear Springs Recreation Area (Ms) 32 miles

This one you can go inside. Hours and admission change with the season; the website above has the current schedule.

At a glance

State: Mississippi
County: Claiborne County
Listed: 1974
Type: Building
Landmark: Yes
Built: 1838

Cell signal

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AT&T: 5G (fast)
T-Mobile: 5G (fast)

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Official links

Sister site

Park Atlas

Every unit of the National Park System, with its fees, hours, alerts and campgrounds.

Open Park Atlas →

This record is built from National Park Service sources, re-read every Saturday, and Wikidata, re-read on the first Saturday of each month. Register Atlas is independent and is not affiliated with any agency, and a listing does not mean a place is open to visitors. How the data is built →

Explore

Drawings & photographs

Alcorn State University, Oakland Chapel, Alcorn State University Campu

1. West front

2. West front, close-up

3. West front from southwest

4. West front from northwest

5. Detail showing cast iron steps from Windsor

6. Detail of clock tower from northwest

7. West front, from northwest

Measured drawings and photographs from the Library of Congress. Public domain. All 8 records ↗

Map

Nearby in Claiborne County

All listings in Claiborne County →

Bethel Presbyterian Church

Guidebooks to historic places and travel in Mississippi

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

Civil War Mississippi
Michael Ballard, 2012
Find at Bookshop.org
Discovering Cat Island
John Cuevas, 2018
Find at Bookshop.org
Mississippi Civil War Monuments
Timothy S. Sedore, 2020
Find at Bookshop.org

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

Reference

Questions people ask

When was Oakland Chapel listed on the National Register?

Dec 27, 1974. It is also a National Historic Landmark, the higher of the two designations.

Source: National Park Service

When was Oakland Chapel built?

1838, in the Greek Revival architecture style.

Source: Wikidata

Can I visit Oakland Chapel?

Yes. Oakland Chapel is recorded as open to the public.

Source: Wikidata

Where is Oakland Chapel?

Alcorn State University campus, Alcorn, Claiborne County, Mississippi. The nearest national park unit is Natchez National Historical Park, 27 miles away.

Source: Natchez National Historical Park

Are there historic photographs or drawings of Oakland Chapel?

Yes. The Historic American Buildings Survey at the Library of Congress has drawings or photographs of it.

Source: Library of Congress

Where is the nomination form for Oakland Chapel?

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

Source: National Archives

Are there campgrounds near Oakland Chapel?

Two federal campgrounds are within reach. The closest is Rocky Springs Campground, Milepost 54.8, 25 miles away. Clear Springs Recreation Area (Ms) is 32 miles away.

Source: Campsite Atlas

Is there cell service at Oakland Chapel?

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 74001057. 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. Drawings and photographs are Historic American Buildings Survey records at the Library of Congress, public domain.