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UID:30@georgiahistory.com
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20240602T090000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20240602T090000
DTSTAMP:20240417T131340Z
URL:https://www.georgiahistory.com/events/historical-marker-dedication-big
 -bethel-african-methodist-episcopal-church/
SUMMARY:Historical Marker Dedication: Big Bethel African Methodist Episcopa
 l Church
DESCRIPTION:The Georgia Historical Society will hold a dedication for a new
  historical marker: Big Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church. The ded
 ication will take place on Sunday\, June 2\, 2024\, at 9:00 a.m. at Big Be
 thel A.M.E Church\, 220 Auburn Ave NE\, Atlanta\, GA 30303. The event is o
 pen to the public. Please note\, parking is available in the parking lot b
 ehind the church\, off Jesse Hill Drive.\n\nThe marker reads:\nBig Bethel 
 African Methodist Episcopal Church\nBig Bethel African Methodist Episcopal
  (AME) Church is the oldest African-American congregation in Atlanta. Orga
 nized by enslaved congregants of Union Church in 1847\, the church joine
 d the AME denomination in 1866. As a community center\, Big Bethel hosted 
 political gatherings\, benevolent societies\, and housed Gate City School\
 , a public school for African Americans. Morris Brown College was founded 
 at Big Bethel. Architect John Anderson Lankford and builder Alexander Hami
 lton constructed the existing building following a 1923 fire. To help pay 
 for construction\, members wrote and produced Heaven Bound\, a religious f
 olk drama that has been performed annually since 1930. The play’s popula
 rity introduced Black theater to White audiences nationwide and sustained 
 the church through the Great Depression. Big Bethel is a landmark in Atlan
 ta’s “Sweet Auburn” district\, recognized by the steeple’s “Jesu
 s Saves” sign.\nErected by the Georgia Historical Society and Big Bethel
  African Methodist Episcopal Church
LOCATION:Big Bethel A.M.E Church\, 220 Auburn Ave NE\, Atlanta\, GA\, 30303
 \, United States
X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=220 Auburn Ave NE\, Atlanta
 \, GA\, 30303\, United States;X-APPLE-RADIUS=100;X-TITLE=Big Bethel A.M.E 
 Church:geo:0,0
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DTSTART:20240310T030000
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