Our History

We are the second oldest African Methodist Episcopal Church west of the Mississippi. In 1853, Rev. Jordan Winston organized “The Olive Chapel of the African Methodist Episcopal Church” in Kirkwood. Records of the early years of Olive Chapel are fragmentary but in John Thomas Scharf’s history of St. Louis City and County published in 1883, reported that the little church was served by a circuit rider for many years and was on the same circuit as A.M.E. churches in Carondelet and Labadie.

It is known that in 1864, the Rev. J.W. Early served the church and in 1865 Rev. J.C. Embury conducted services.

Like all endeavors, the church has had its high and low periods on in its march to the present day. For more than 60 years, all social life in the black community centered at the church and its literary society drew large numbers of people – both regular church-goers and non-church groups.

Olive Chapel produced several exemplary religious, professional, civic and community leaders that worked tirelessly to enhance the lives of all people in Kirkwood. Among them: Mrs. Myrtle McKinney Moffett, a St. Louis educator; Mrs. Daisy May Watson, a local conference religious leader; Mrs. Pearl Bunch, a great spirit in missions and for whom along with Mrs. Watson, our local church Missionary Society was named: The Daisy-Pearl Missionary Society; Mr. & Mrs. George C. Davis, Jr. in addition to Mr. William L. Slaten are well known civic leaders; Fred & Patricia McKissack, nationally known writers of children’s books and winners of prestigious awards. Also, many fine families and members too numerous to mention have made many exceptional contributions to the church, many of them sacrificial.

The Olive Chapel A.M.E. Church purchased property in 1923 at the corner of Monroe and Harrison Avenues. The congregation had previously been worshipping in a small stone building at 330 West Washington Avenue. The West Washington address was also the site of Kirkwood’s first public education classes for black students in 1867.