Bethel A.M.E. Church, built in 1921, faces you at 1528 Sumter Street in Columbia, South Carolina. This is a historic African Methodist Episcopal Church, its name spoken in a tradition that reaches back through communities and worship. The building you face was built in 1921, and that date anchors it in the early twentieth century.
In 1982 this church was recognized and added to the National Register, a formal listing that records its significance. As you stand on the sidewalk, imagine the many Sundays and gatherings that have passed through this doorway — the simple fact of its presence at 1528 Sumter Street tells a long story. Feel the quiet dignity of a place identified as historic, an institution that carries African Methodist Episcopal in its title.
The year 1921 marks when it was built; 1982 marks when it was added to the National Register. Take a moment to let the building’s history settle around you. Picture this building earning its National Register listing in 1982, six decades after it was built in 1921.