Quinn Chapel AME

Designated a Chicago Landmark in 1977 and listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1979, the Quinn Chapel houses the oldest African American congregation in Chicago, its congregation tracing back to 1844 as a prayer group of seven that met regularly in the home of John Day. As the prayer group expanded, its members asked to be admitted as a congregation for the African Methodist Episcopal Church in 1847 and has been in its present home in Bronzeville since 1891.  

Given its first congregants’ identities as former slaves, the church has played a significant role in the abolitionist movement, and so they supported the movement further by aiding runaway slaves’ escapes.  In fact, four of the female congregants, often referenced as the “Big Four,” acted as conductors for the Underground Railroad, providing shelter and other necessities to aid in the escape of slaves. After the passage of the Fugitive Act in 1850, Quinn Chapel served as one of the last stops on the Underground Railroad. 

After slavery was abolished in 1865, Quinn Chapel continued to uphold it’s service to the black community by way of becoming a center for Black activism and social movements and a platform for activists to connect with Chicago’s African-American population. Its pulpit has hosted Susan B. Anthony when she was rejected from speaking of women’s suffrage at the 1893 World Fair, as well as prominent Black leaders such as Frederick Douglass, Martin Luther King Jr., Bobby Rush, W.E.B. DuBois, and Patti LaBelle. Quinn Chapel played a crucial role in establishing Bethel A.M.E. Church, Elam House, and Provident Hospital, which was the first African-American owned hospital in the United States. It has also welcomed other politicians such as Barack Obama, William McKinley, William Taft, Jesse Jackson, Pat Quinn, and Richard Dayley. Throughout its history, Quinn has been a place dedicated to its community. A history it is seeking to preserve and contribute to current and future programs.