An historic Black church in Springfield that’s sat vacant for a few years at the corner of Benton and Central is getting a $3 million makeover.
The African Methodist Episcopal Church, Benton Avenue AME, is indirectly related to the U.S. Supreme Court’s landmark civil rights case, Brown v Board of Education, according to the National Park Service.
After Springfield Public Schools were integrated in 1955, Reverend Oliver Brown was transferred from Topeka, Kansas to Benton Avenue AME where he served from 1959 to 1961. He was one of 13 parents in Topeka who filed suit against the Topeka Board of Education to allow their children to attend the all-white schools in their neighborhoods. The case ended segregation in U.S. public schools.
Dr. Rosalyn Thomas, associate dean of diversity at Drury University, and Aaron Jones, Drury’s chief operating officer, showed me the church’s sanctuary. Thomas pointed out where Rev. Brown’s office was and said, "we’re going to work real hard here to redo that just the way it was when he was here, so that's an exciting project for us to look at doing.”
She envisions prints from Brown v Board of Education being on display in the sanctuary where anyone can come to view them and have discussions about them. She also envisions using the space for other educational opportunities.
“Drury has hosted the Black History Summer Academy for three to five years, and we would like to have this site available for that, different community activities," Thomas said. If we have guest speakers to come in, classes might meet here, this may be a touring point for other smaller communities to come in and look at this building. So, it's just vital to our community to have it up and running, and that's what we're striving to do.”
The restoration and improvements will provide space for exhibits that reflect upon the history of the church, issues of race and civil rights in Springfield and struggles for justice and freedom across America, according to Drury.
Renovations are already underway at Benton Avenue A.M.E., which was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2001. You can view the registration form with detailed information here. The church was organized in 1872, and the building construction, which began in 1922, was finished in 1926. By 2014, membership had dwindled to just a few people, and the church closed. Shortly after, Drury purchased the building.
The university has always planned to renovate the old church and open it to the public, "recognizing that this is an important part of our community," said Thomas. "It just — it cannot be torn down. And I think that was realized by many people at Drury that it was very important to keep this building where it is and to renovate this building so it can be one of those drawing points for our community.”
She said she’s proud to know that there are folks who know the value of Springfield’s African American community. Another historic Black Springfield church on campus, Washington Avenue Baptist, serves as Drury’s diversity center. It was acquired by Drury in 2000 and was dismantled and moved to its current location.
Aaron Jones expects students to get involved with the Benton Avenue AME project and to uncover more and more of its history.
"I think when you involve people, give them a piece of what you're doing, it becomes even more important. And our students are fantastic at that," Thomas said. "The research that they can do and will do will be just phenomenal, and it will help us along with this building.”
The community is also invited to help with the museum and collections work. If you’re interested, email mverney@drury.edu.
