St. John’s A.M.E. Marker Dedication

Sunday, October 22nd, 1 pm

682 Plymouth Street, Worthington, OH, 43082

The Worthington Historical Society and St. John A.M.E. Church in Worthington will dedicate the city’s newest historical marker on Sunday, October 22nd at 1 pm at the historic St. John A.M.E. Church, 682 Plymouth Street. The marker honors the history of Worthington’s African American congregation, which was started in 1897, as well as the neighborhood, the Morris Addition, in which the church is located. The brief outdoor dedication is free and open to the public.

The Morris Addition was Worthington’s first platted subdivision, annexed into the town in 1856. Bounded by today’s East Granville Rd, Morning St., South St. and Andover, St, a significant number of free Blacks owned land and built or occupied homes in this subdivision from its inception. In 1897, a house was relocated to Plymouth Street to serve as Bethel Chapel, and later a new building was constructed and dedicated as St. John A.M.E. Church in 1914.

The congregation moved to a larger location at 7700 Crosswoods Drive in 2004, but still retains ownership of their original location. The Ohio Historical Marker’s presence at the historic church, which is a symbol of a close-knit, established community of African American residents who have made the Worthington area home since before the Civil War, will commemorate that history.