[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 54 (Tuesday, April 20, 1999)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E707]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 GALBRAITH A.M.E. ZION CHURCH CELEBRATES ONE HUNDRED FIFTY-SIX YEARS, 
                               1843-1999

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                       HON. ELEANOR HOLMES NORTON

                      of the district of columbia

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, April 20, 1999

  Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in 
congratulating the officers, members, and friends of the Galbraith 
African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church for ``156 Years of Charting Our 
Legacy Through Spirituality With an Unchangeable God.''
  Mr. Speaker, Galbraith A.M.E. Zion Church was organized before 
slavery was abolished and while the city of Washington was still in its 
infancy. The church grew out of the efforts of the late Bishop 
Singleton T. Jones, then pastor of the Zion Wesley A.M.E. Zion Church 
in Southwest Washington. He extended the borders of Zion by 
establishing a mission in the northwest section of the city. In 1843, 
with a meeting in the home of Mr. and Mrs. Samuel Payne on New Avenue, 
Northwest, between Fourth and Fifth Streets, the mission was 
established. Rev. Singleton T. Jones preached the sermon. Professor 
R.H. Dyson, Chorister of the then noted Clintonian Songsters, furnished 
the music. Six members joined the mission--Father and Mrs. Bartlett, 
Mr. and Mrs. Samuel Payne, and two other individuals whose names have 
been lost in history. Rev. Richard Tompkins, a local preacher from Zion 
Wesley Church, was appointed to take charge and served for 
approximately ten months.
  The Mission struggled and fluctuated for a period of eight years 
until its reorganization in 1852, under the leadership of Rev. R.H.G. 
Dyson. The success of the Mission at this time was due primarily to the 
efforts and determination of Father and Mrs. Bartlett, Mr. and Mrs. 
Payne, and Mr. Julius Warren, the Assistant Class Leader to Rev. Dyson. 
The first building, a room 8 feet by 20 feet, was erected by Mr. Payne 
and was used for Sunday School and preaching services on Sunday, and 
for day school taught by Miss Martha Ross. As there were few facilities 
for the education of Black children in those days, the church served a 
double purpose.
  After only two months, the church became too small for the 
congregation. Mr. Payne stretched a number of tents in the rear of the 
building, providing accommodations for three hundred people. In 1853, 
because of the danger and lack of protection from a band of lawless 
white men, who amused themselves by stoning the tents during services, 
Mr. Payne erected another home for the mission with two stories.
  Upon the recommendation of Presiding Elder J.H. Hammer, Rev. Dyson 
joined the Annual Conference May, 1853, and was again sent to the 
Mission. In the fall of 1852, a lot was purchased on L Street between 
Fourth and Fifth Streets, Northwest for $225.00. The owner, Dr. Hall, 
donated $25.00 for the purchase price, and Brothers Julius Warren and 
Payne each paid $25.00 for a deed of trust. Mr. Naylor, a builder and 
contractor, agreed to build a church for a reasonable sum to be paid in 
small amounts. The cornerstone was laid in 1853, the first to be laid 
by the Colored Masons of Washington. Rev. Dyson selected the name 
``Galbraith A.M.E. Zion Chapel'' in memory of Bishop George Galbraith. 
The dedication was March 1854.
  Mr. Speaker, this city is grateful for the spiritual guidance and the 
progressive leadership of the current pastor, Rev. Frederick B. Massey, 
Sr., and those who preceded him, coupled with the cooperation of the 
officers and members of Galbraith A.M.E. Zion Church.

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