In 1850 Saint Andrews African Methodist Episcopal Church was founded as the first African American church in California and the first AME on the West Coast. Imagine a young congregation that a year later was admitted into the African Methodist Episcopal Church, changing its early name from the Colored Methodist Episcopal Church to Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church, and later known as Saint Andrews. In 1850, as California became a state and the Gold Rush had begun just two years earlier, many African Americans worked in the mining areas near Sacramento, some seeking their own wealth.
The church began at 715 Seventh Street — that original site is still marked by a historical plaque — and today the congregation is active at 2131 Eighth Street. This building and its story were recognized as California Historical Landmark number 1013 on May 5, 1994. Stand here and feel the deep continuity: a community formed in the rush and change of early statehood, keeping worship and fellowship alive across addresses and names.
Notice the plaque marking 715 Seventh Street and Eighth Street where the church continues its work.