The history of Pickett Chapel United Methodist Church in Lebanon, Tennessee goes back almost 200 years. Pickett Chapel is believed to be the oldest African American church building in the State of Tennessee. The Tennessee-Western Kentucky Conference Archives partnered with UMCOM to tell the incredible story of this historic Black church, speaking to former members about their memories attending the chapel as children.
Pickett Chapel was originally constructed by slaves in 1827 as a white congregation. By 1856 the white congregation had moved to a new building. Ten years later a group of emancipated former slaves purchased the building. During the Civil Rights Movement Pickett served as meeting place for African American activists. By 1973, having outgrown the chapel, the African American congregation moved to Pickett-Rucker United Methodist Church. Pickett Chapel was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1977.
In 2007, the Wilson County Black History Committee (WCBHC) purchased the Chapel and began restoration efforts with technical assistance from MTSU’s Center for Historic Preservation (CHP) and funding from the Tennessee Historical Commission.
The building's exterior walls still contain the original bricks placed there by enslaved persons in 1827. Some bricks actually have visible fingerprints embeded in them. "I believe the people who ultimately bought the building, bought something their ancestors built. Those fingerprints tell a story of bondage and a story of freedom." said TWK Archist Gratia Strother.
To learn more visit Pickett Chapel's website.