St. James A.M.E. Church

Front: This African Methodist Episcopal (A.M.E.) church organized in 1871. In that year, five church trustees acquired this lot where members built their first house of worship, a small wood frame building. The land was donated by Dr. Ezra Wheeler, namesake of the surrounding Wheeler Hill neighborhood. Upon forming, the church was known as Glendale Mission. Members adopted the name St. James in the early 1900s. Reverse: St. James is one of the oldest A.M.E. congregations in Columbia and became an important institution for residents of Wheeler Hill. The church hosted social clubs, meetings, and other community events, as well as religious services. Much of Wheeler Hill was demolished from the 1960s to 1980s as part of urban renewal. Though heavily altered, a St. James sanctuary dating at least to the 1910s still stands.