The Historical Black Methodist Episcopal Church

The Black Methodist Church
1841 - 1908. 
Black Point (Mersey Point)
Liverpool NS 

It is very difficult to visualize a thriving Black Community in Liverpool history, when today we have so few Black families living here. In May 1787 Simeon Perkins enumerated 50 blacks into Queens County, 20 men, 11 women and 19 children,all but 2 of them into the town of Liverpool. All of them had been promised land; promises never fulfilled. Later some families came here from the United States as Black Loyalists, while others came with their owners. Some made their way here by working on the sailing ships that came to Liverpool from Jamaica, Bermuda and other southern areas. Today some of these families have descendants who still live in the Liverpool area. 

The site on which the church was built, was given by Robert Barry. The land measured 40' by 60' and was located near Black Point.  In 1841, the House of Assembly in Halifax granted 25 pounds to be paid to James Goosely to complete the African Chapel. The church served as both a church and a meeting house for the Black community. The Liverpool Transcript recorded various events that took place at the church - on January 6, 1858, Mr Joseph G Smith gave a lecture at the old Chapel.  Sadly on January 22, 1908, the African Chapel was set fire by an arsonist. In a matter of a few hours the many years of hard work done by the Black community vanished up in smoke.

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