Historic Nashville, Inc

Description

A photograph of Clark Memorial Methodist Church, Nashville's oldest African American Church. Located now at 1015 Fourteenth Avenue North, Clark Memorial has had several name and location changes throughout the years. The congregation came into existence in 1867. Their first building was the former Andrews Chapel on Franklin Street in South Nashville. Initially the church served as a house of worship and a school for African American youth under the sponsorship of northern Methodist Episcopal Church missionaries. Reverend John Braden was Clark Memorial's fourth minister and was made principal of the school division of Clark Church. In 1869 the board of trustees changed the school's name to Central Tennessee College and elected Rev. Braden for president. Central Tennessee College later became Walden University, and at its beginning, Meharry Medical College was a department of Walden. In 1899 the church was renamed from Clark Chapel to Clark Memorial Methodist Episcopal Church. In 1942 the condition of the building forced the congregation to relocate to a new structure at Fourteenth Avenue and Phillips Street. This is where the church stands today. Upon the unification of the Methodist Church in 1939, the church's name was changed one final time to Clark Memorial United Methodist Church. The church's foundation is built from rough cut stone. The exterior walls are constructed with red brick. The roof is gabled and hipped, and comprised of tar shingles. The windows are arched with stained glass panes and Plexiglas covers. There is a circular window over the front entryway....

Record Contributed By

Nashville Public Library

Record Harvested From

Digital Library of Tennessee