Historic Marker Dedicated: Buffalo’s Forgotten Congregation

By Barbara Seals Nevergold, PhD

Established in 1831, Vine Street (Bethel) African Methodist Episcopal Church was the first church founded by African Americans in Buffalo. In 1848, or 49, a small group of families left the church to start a new congregation. The reason(s) for their departure are unknown. However, they were sufficiently disgruntled to leave the denomination and seek a home in Buffalo’s Presbytery.

The men who had been leaders in the Vine Street Church included George Weir, Jr., the son of its first pastor, James Whitfield, who became a nationally known poet, and Henry Moxley, a barber who played a pivotal role in the fight for school integration. The East Presbyterian (Colored) Church was formally dedicated on March 18, 1850. The church’s pastor, Rev. Jacob Prime, was installed in December 1851.

East Presbyterian was active for a decade. It members joined Vine Street AME and Michigan Street Baptist in anti-slavery, temperance, and suffrage movements. Under the leadership of Rev. Prime, they raised funds to purchase land and build a new church on Elm Street between North and South Division Streets. Rev. Prime left after the new church opened in 1858.

The church experienced another significant change after Rev. Prime’s departure. Church leaders left the Buffalo Presbytery. Again, the reasons for their decision are unknown. Members reached out to the Episcopal Diocese of Buffalo. For over a year, Rev. Orlando Witherspoon, the young Rector of St. John’s Episcopal Church, ministered to their ecumenical needs. On May 30, 1861, 19 families and seven individuals formally met for the inaugural mass at St. Philip’s Episcopal Church with Rev. Witherspoon as its first Pastor. This year, St. Philip’s observed its 163rd year of continuous Christian service to the Buffalo community.

St. Philip’s origin story was lost, and only vague references to East Presbyterian’s existence can be found in the history of Bethel African-American Episcopal Church. Thanks to the research of Dr. Barbara Seals Nevergold, co-founder of the Uncrowned Queens Institute, this story has now been uncovered. In addition to several articles that Dr. Nevergold has written, the history of the East Presbyterian has been captured on a historical marker. The marker, a testament to our shared history and a source of pride for our community, was dedicated on October 1st at the northwest corner of 45 Elm Street in Buffalo, now the site of Erie County’s Central Police Services building. A grant from the Office of Erie County Executive made the marker’s creation possible.

County Executive Mark Poloncarz, County Legislator Lawrence Dupre, Melissa Brown, Executive Director of the Buffalo History Museum, Terry Alford, E.D., Michigan Street African American Heritage Commission, Richard Pyszczek, Chair of the Erie County Historical Commission, Rev. Stephen Lane, St. Philip’s Episcopal Church, Rev. Todd Leach, Westminster Presbyterian Church, and Dr. Nevergold were joined by community members for a brief program.