Title	Mt. Zion CME Church: interior 4
Creator(s)	West, Carroll Van
Date	1996
Coverage	1990-1999
Property name	Mt. Zion Christian Methodist Episcopal Church
Property type	Church
National Register Reference	01000140 listed 2001/02/16
Community Name	Union City, Obion County, TN
Description	Black and white photograph of church interior; wood pulpit with microphone; two arched windows in background.
Historical Notes	The congregation of Mt. Zion CME Church dates back to 1870, as it formed soon after the split from the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, which was the largest white congregation then in Obion County, TN. A new church building was dedicated in 1896 to celebrate the first 25 years of the church's existence. The new building was the largest brick structure yet constructed for African-American religious services in Union City. It is the sole, largely unaltered example of African-American constructed Victorian architecture, in its case a Gothic Revival-influenced design, that is extant in Union City. In 1917, the church served as a sponsor and advocate for the construction of a "modern" school for Union City's African-American children, later named Miles School. In the late 1930s, the church added a kitchen and classrooms. These were finished circa 1940. In 1956, in reaction to the growing civil rights movement, national leadership of the CME church decided to change its name from the Colored Methodist Church to the Christian Methodist Church. Mt. Zion followed suit and retains that name today.
Collection Name	African American Churches
Subject-LCSH	African American Churches -- Tennessee Church buildings -- Tennessee
Subject-TGM	Churches
Type	Still image
Genre	Photograph
Extent	1.5" x 1" on 8.5 x 11 in. negative composite
Copyright status	Copyright of the creator. Reproduced with permission
Contributing Institution	Center for Historic Preservation, Middle Tennessee State University
Conditions for use	Credit Center for Historic Preservation, Middle Tennessee State University Reproduction permitted for non-profit educational and research purposes only
Digital Publisher	Digital Initiatives, James E. Walker Library, Middle Tennessee State University

Mt. Zion CME Church: interior 4

Description