{"nrhp_refnum":"98000635","name":"Mount Vernon African Methodist Episcopal Church","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"913 E. Calhoun St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Palestine","county":"Anderson County","state":"TX","lat":31.768274788000042,"lon":-95.62299976799994,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1998-06-03","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Black","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A brick Gothic Revival church at 913 E. Calhoun Street in Palestine, Anderson County, Texas, completed in 1921 by builder J.B. Rountree for the Mount Vernon A.M.E. congregation, which was organized in 1873.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the church is significant under Criteria A and C at the local level. It reflects the development of Palestine's African-American community and is reportedly the third oldest A.M.E. church in Texas. It is also among the city's finest surviving examples of Gothic Revival architecture and retains exceptional integrity.","narrative":"Mount Vernon African Methodist Episcopal Church is a brick Gothic Revival building at 913 E. Calhoun Street in Palestine, Texas. Completed in 1921, it has two three-story corner towers with steep pyramidal roofs and a large pointed-arch window on the front. Brick veneer covers a wood frame, and the building remains in good condition with few changes. The congregation was organized in 1873 and is reportedly the third oldest A.M.E. church in Texas. Land for a church was donated to the local African-American community by Judge John H. Reagan, and the congregation built a small frame church in the late 1870s. Members later raised money for the brick building through a \"mile of nickels\" campaign. The church stands in Palestine's oldest African-American neighborhood. It was listed for its role in the city's Black heritage and for being among the finest local examples of Gothic Revival design, and it still serves the community today.","period_of_significance":"1921-1945","architect_builder":"Rountree, J.B. (builder)","architectural_style":"Late 19th and 20th Century Revivals: Late Gothic Revival","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Still in use as a religious facility; described as in good condition and minimally altered since construction.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:54:23.847155-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/86/9678/40967886/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_TX/98000635.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/98000635/867e55cea8-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/98000635/867e55cea8-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Renelibrary","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:MountVernon1.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Renelibrary</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:MountVernon1.jpg"},"district":{"nrhp_refnum":"06000509","name":"Old Town Residential Historic District","url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/districts/texas/old-town-residential-historic-district-06000509/"},"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/40967886","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Vernon_African_Methodist_Episcopal_Church_(Palestine,_Texas)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q6924349"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/texas/anderson-county/mount-vernon-african-methodist-episcopal-church-98000635/"}