Mother Bethel AME Church - founding site of the African Methodist Episcopal denomination

Mother Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church was founded by Richard Allen in 1794 and is the historic center of the AME denomination, the first independent Black denomination in the United States. The church's property on Sixth Street has been in continuous use by the congregation since the early 19th century and is widely cited as one of the oldest extant African American church properties in the nation. The site played a central role in Black religious and community life in Philadelphia throughout the 19th century.