{"nrhp_refnum":"02000144","name":"Thomas Memorial AME Zion Church","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"715 Morrison St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Watertown","county":"Jefferson County","state":"NY","lat":43.98535928200005,"lon":-75.91498663799996,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2002-03-06","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Black","Social History","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A small front-gabled church at 715 Morrison Street on the north side of Watertown, Jefferson County, New York, built in 1909 of molded concrete block made to resemble rock-faced stone.","why_significant":"It is an intact example of a small vernacular church with minimal Gothic details, a plain square tower and stained-glass windows. It is also associated with African-American history as the first African-American church organized in Watertown, whose congregation grew from the only such church in Jefferson County, founded in 1878.","narrative":"Thomas Memorial A.M.E. Zion Church is a modest 1909 church on Morrison Street in a residential neighborhood on Watertown's north side. Its walls are cast concrete block molded to resemble rock-faced stone, and it has a front gable, a plain square corner tower without a spire, a large pointed-arch stained-glass window and an oculus in the gable. Inside, the original center-aisle plan, wood pews and wainscoting survive. The church was built for Black railroad workers who settled in the area and was erected largely by its congregation, who formed the concrete blocks at night by lantern light. Funds came from benefits and from young people who sang in white churches, and the YMCA bought the lot on the congregation's behalf. The congregation traces to Watertown's first African-American church, established in 1878, the only one in Jefferson County at that time. The building is recognized for its architecture and for its long role as a worship and social center for the community.","period_of_significance":"1909-1951","architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":"Late Gothic Revival","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Still used as a church; several openings are covered with plywood and the windows are protected by plexiglass.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:51:54.03454-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NY/02000144.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/02000144/7e3ff053c8-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/02000144/7e3ff053c8-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Lvklock","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Thomas_Memorial_AME_Zion_Church_052613_020.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">Lvklock</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Thomas_Memorial_AME_Zion_Church_052613_020.JPG"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/75318288","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Memorial_AME_Zion_Church","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7792384"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/new-york/jefferson-county/thomas-memorial-ame-zion-church-02000144/"}