Located at the corner of Washington Avenue and Orleans St, Collins Chapel Church is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is acknowledged as Memphis’ oldest African American congregation. College Chapel, the “Mother Church” of our Christian Methodist Episcopal denomination was organized in 1841 in the basement Wesley Chapel Methodist now known as First United Methodist located at
204 N. in downtown Memphis. In 1845 deeds to the basement of Wesley Chapel were given to its “colored members” then slaves, who with their own finances, paid for the renovation of the lower level. Known as Wesley Chapel African Mission, they move to the corner of Washington and Orleans Street in 1859. Another name change occurred when in honor of their first pastor, the Rev. Joseph TC Collins, a popular white minister, the church became known as Collins Chapel Colored Methodist Episcopal Church. This early congregation predates the Civil War (1861 through 1865) and the founding of the CME denomination, which occurred in 1870. According to tradition and aged written records, members met under a bush arbor until a frame building was erected in the early 1860s. Tragedy struck in Memphis during May 1866, when a race riot destroy four black churches and College Chapel was one of them. After rebuilding in 1868, the church was again damaged in 1905 by fire and again in 1913 by fire and lightning. After continuous, sporadic repair, replacement and remodeling, in 1977 the building was excessively renovated at a cost of $250,000. The church has been extensively renovated and preserved since this time to be a beautiful worship structure that sits at 678 Washington Ave. In November of 2016, Collins will be celebrating its 175th Anniversary. While our history is rich, so are the people who made it and the people who worship here today. Join us in prayer and worship as we reclaim the past and reframe for the future. @175
