St. James A.M.E. Church

Front: The congregation of St. James A.M.E. Church first worshipped under a bush arbor in the vicinity of what is now Ariel Crossroads. Mattie Munnerlyn White sold one-half acre of land, including the original church, to the Trustees of St. James A.M.E. in 1891. The cornerstone of the current church was laid in 1914 under the leadership of Rev. A.J. Starks, Pastor, and Rev. W.P. Carolina, Presiding Elder. Reverse: In 1919 Zack R. Leonard sold land to the church for what is now St. James Cemetery, located 3/4 of a mile north. St. James School, built in 1925, once stood nearby and was among 500 schools built for African American students in S.C. that was funded in part by the Rosenwald Foundation (1917-1932). It remained the principal school for local black students until 1954.