Upcoming Events
An Afternoon on Ben Reifel
Saturday, December 1 at 2 PM - 4 PM
AME Allen Chapel
Next Event:
January 27, 2017
An Evening with Ilika Ward
7pm-9pm at AME Church
508 Cedar Street, Yankton, SD 57078
Past Events
An Afternoon with Dakota Daughters
Saturday, December 2 at 2 PM - 4 PM
AME Church
An Evening with The Rough & Tumble
Saturday, August 12 at 7 PM - 9 PM
AME Chruch
An Evening with Ted & Alice
Saturday, May 6 at 7 PM - 9 PM
AME Church
An Evening with the Songwriters
Saturday, November 4 at 7 PM - 10 PM
AME Church
An Evening with Pushing Chain
Saturday, February 10, 2018 at 2 PM - 3:30 PM
AME Church
An Evening with Bridget Boen
Saturday, April 22 at 7 PM - 9 PM
AME Church
An Afternoon on Prairie Sanctuaries
Saturday, February 10, 2018 at 2 PM - 3:30 PM
The AME Church
An Evening with Ilika Ward
Saturday, January 27, 2018 at 7 PM - 9 PM
The AME Church
About Us
In February of 2017, the Event at the AME program was started with a few goals in mind. First, our effort is to preserve the history of the historic AME chapel while keeping it's viability in today's Yankton. Second, with our blend of original music from around the area, and the country, along with our cultural events procured through various avenues, we hoped to fill avoid in Yankton's cultural and entertainment horizons. Through our concerts, we have already had musicians from South Dakota, Nebraska, Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Tennessee, and Mississippi, with upcoming artists from Illinois, Maine, Florida, and Michigan, we are slowly, but surely, putting Yankton on the map as a must-stop for up-and-coming artists looking to perform in one of the best listening rooms you'll ever find.
History
Congregation Organized: November 23, 1883
At the Deu Suthesia Church, Yankton, Dakota Territory
Built by: Amos S. Lewis
Church Constructed: 1885
Pews Built by: John T. Coxhead - Finished Dec. 22, 1885
Location: 508 Cedar Street, Yankton
Formally dedicated: Nov. 11, 1887 by
Bishop John M. Brown
A group of blacks met on November 25, 1883 at the Deu Suthesia Church in Yankton, Dakota Territory. The purpose of the meeting was to start an African Methodist Episcopal Church (AME), as that was the church many of them had been members of before moving to Yankton. J. W. Malone, the District Presiding Elder, from Sioux City, Iowa, came to Yankton to help them get organized. They decided to name the church the Allen Chapel, in honor of Richard Allen, the founder of the African Methodist Episcopal Church. Twelve people joined that day, and three more in the next few months.
They also organized a Sunday School that day with 22 adults and children. After organizing, they met for two years in Robinson's Barbershop located in the rear of the building on the corner of 4th & Broadway. (The fountain is currently located there). The building was owned by the List Family who operated a saloon in the front area. Then on November 27, 1885, Amos Lewis and wife Clara sold the lot for $1.00 to Washington Stokes, S. Graves, and Amos S. Lewis, the trustees of the AME Church. Amos S. Lewis, who was a bricklayer, was responsible for building the church. He was a freed slave, having learned the trade from his slave master. They moved with great speed on the project with the goal of holding Christmas services in it. John T. Coxhead finished building the pews on Dec. 22, and years later built the side table, both of which are still being used in the church. Rev. J. W. Malone came from Sioux City to preach at the Christmas Day services. It was almost two years later that Bishop John M. Brown of the AME Church of Iowa came to formally dedicate the church on November 11, 1887.
It was reported in the November 26, 1889 issue of the Press and Dakotan that over one-half of the color population living in Yankton was members of the AME Church. There are no known lists of members, but, besides those previously listed, other early active members were the LeRoy Kinney family, Mr. & Mrs. Hill, and later the Woodie Smith family who was related to the Hill and Lewis families. Many of them came from Eufaula, Alabama and other southern states. In 1905, the little congregation witnessed a spiritual upsurge with the arrival of the Henry and Isaac Blakey families from Missouri. The John Hollidays and Spencer Blakeys would become the titular head of the Church. He regularly represented the Church at various conferences, meetings, and was respected by the ministry and laity, as well. In 1913 they purchased property at 908 Locust to use as a parsonage for the minster. it was used until the 1960's when Rev. Boykin drove from Sioux City, IA for Sunday services.
Many times there was not a full time minister and local people would help out. They included Rev. Otto Jensen who worked for the American Sunday School Union, seminary students form Yankton College, Helen Tieszen from Marion who had served as a missionary in Africa assisted for 10 years, and Rev. Oliver Omanson of Calvary Baptist Church helped with visitations. The first 25 years the church membership grew steadily, as more blacks settled in Yankton. The black population in Yankton may have numbered as many as 600 at
one time. But beginning in 1910 it started to decline with the closing of the cement plant and in 1920 when the brick company closed. the blacks were forced to move to Sioux City or Sioux Falls where jobs were more plentiful for unskilled laborers. This also marked a period of decline in the AME Church membership.
Another event also brought about a decline in membership when a group of AME members, who were formerly Baptists, decided to start their own church. About 1912 a Baptist Church was built at 10th & Summit St. Even though people left the AME Church to join the Baptist Church, many of them would go to their Baptist services in the morning and to the AME services in the afternoon. The church was a place where the blacks could stay connected and get together socially. There were also periods when neither church had a full-time minister, so would have services on Sunday at the Baptist Church and the next Sunday at the AME. With only 40 blacks in Yankton, Allen Chapel struggled to remain alive up to the time of the Centennial Celebration in 1985. Many Sundays there would be no minster to conduct services and only two or three members in attendance. Following the Celebration, the church was only used occasionally by a family group. Ted and Nate Blakey tried to take care of the building, but age and ill health made it difficult. Finally, on July 7, 2002, Ted Blakey, the last living member, entrusted the Allen Chapel African Methodist Episcopal Church to the United Church of Christ, whose members agreed to preserve it for future generations.