The first neighborhood in Dayton that was identifiably black was located along Seely’s Ditch just to the east of today’s Oregon District.
First occupied around 1827, the area known as “Africa” was populated largely by men who worked on the Miami-Erie Canal.
It was here where the first church African American church was built in 1840 at the corner of Plum and McLain Streets (also identified as McLane).
An African Methodist Episcopal (A.M.E.) church in Dayton had already been founded in 1833, but this small frame structure was its first dedicated building. Bishop Paul Quinn dedicated the church that took on his name (Quinn Chapel A.M.E. Church), and a Reverend Bird was its first pastor.
Just one year later, however, a racial disturbance led to a white mob burning many of the cabins in Africa, and most of its residents fled. This also caused the A.M.E. congregation to disband for several decades.
Where exactly was the church at Plum and McLain?
It’s difficult to pinpoint the exact location of the old church due to how much the area has changed since. What had been Africa became the Haymarket, a densely-packed urban neighborhood filled with homes, businesses and industry. The Haymarket in turn was demolished in the 1960s for urban renewal and is now the Dayton Towers Apartments, green space, and a few single-story storefronts.
The following maps from 1887 show the area in the Haymarket neighborhood where the church previously stood. The intersection of Plum and McLain is circled, and East Fifth is the major street that is still intact.
The second map (from a different perspective) shows one landmark that survived urban renewal, Holy Trinity Church at Fifth and Bainbridge:
And this is an approximation of the church location on a current map:
Later History of the African Methodist Episcopal Church in Dayton
When the Dayton A.M.E. denomination returned years later, the church had moved to Eaker Street and in 1882 it became known as Wayman Chapel.
In 1922, the church moved to West Fifth and Bank Streets. But the location was in the path of Interstate 75, so the congregation sold and moved to 3317 Hoover Ave, where the Wayman Chapel A.M.E. Church still operates today.
Sources
A Timeline: Black History in the Miami Valley 1798 to 2001
Wayman Chapel A.M.E: Our History
A Geographical Take on Dayton Black History
Lutzenberger Picture Collection, Dayton Metro Library
Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps
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