African M.E. Church

Mt. Pleasant Township
Jefferson County, Ohio

The history of the African M.E. Church is somewhat obscure and meager, but as nearly as can be ascertained, it was organized as early as 1818. For some years the members rented a house for worship at the extreme western end of the village, which they finally bought and continued their meetings there until it became unfit to use. They sold the property and purchased another lot near by on which they built a neat brick house. The gable stone from this church can be seen at the Mount Pleasant Historical Center. The church once numbered as high as 170 members at one time but like many of the churches it has had its internal dissentions and in 1871 fifteen members withdrew their memberships and formed a new church called the Colored M.E. Church.

As of 1880, they did not have a house of worship but met in the colored schoolhouse. The following is a list of the ministers since their separation:

• Alexander Hargrave, 1871-3
• Lewis Carr, 1874
• Jacob Skinner, 1875
• Jessie Hargrave, 1876-8
• George Carr, 1879

(Read more from the History of Belmont & Jefferson Co.Caldell, 1880 and learn more by joining the Mount Pleasant Historical Society.)