Title	Pikeville Chapel A.M.E. Zion Church
Date of Construction	1870s
Date of photograph	2006
Theme	Finding Community
Subtheme	Religious Institutions Schools
Subject-LCSH	African American churches African American schools
Geographic Location	United States -- Tennessee -- Pikeville
County Name	Bledsoe County
Description	Front-gable, frame building on a stone foundation, with attached steeple that forms a square tower entry vestibule on left side. The church is painted white, with a green raised seam metal roof, and located just across the Sequatchie River from Pikeville.
Historical Note	Thought to be the oldest rural African American church in Tennessee, this building also served as a school for African Americans until the construction of the Lincoln (Rosenwald) School in downtown Pikeville in 1925. Records of the county school superintendent for 1877 reveal that Fisk University students were serving as teachers, and that the school for African Americans was superior to the one for whites in Bledsoe County at the time. The church is located on a small rise beside the Sequatchie River, separated by a bridge from downtown Pikeville. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1999. According to research completed during the Rural African American Church survey conducted by the Center for Historic Preservation, it was known as the Mount Zion A.M.E. Church at one time. The steeple was added circa 1900. More information and additional images can be found in the Southern Places digital collection at MTSU Walker Library.
Genre	Photograph
Contributing Institution	Center for Historic Preservation, Middle Tennessee State University
Conditions for use	Reproduction permitted for non-profit educational and research purposes only. All reproductions require acknowledgement of the contributing institution. For research inquiries about specific objects, contact the Center for Historic Preservation.
Digital Publisher	Digital Initiatives, James E. Walker Library, Middle Tennessee State University