Bethel A.M.E. Church

One of the oldest African American churches in New Jersey, Bethel A.M.E. was founded in 1843 by free Black residents of Morristown. The Carpenter Gothic church building from 1849 survives on Spring Street, a striking and rare example of pre-Civil War Black religious architecture in the region.

The congregation has a long history of activism and community support, and the church remains active today. The building is modest but historically significant; visitors are welcome during services and by arrangement at other times. It's a short walk north of the Green.

things to do sight
A story
Bethel A.M.E. was the first Black congregation in Morris County, incorporated in 1843 by the Bethel Mite Society. The 1849 Carpenter Gothic church on Spring Street still stands — a rare pre-Civil War African American church building in New Jersey, listed on the National Register of Historic Places.