African American Heritage Trail, Washington, DC

—401 I Street SE —

The St. Paul African Union Methodist Protestant (AUMP) Church is the first and only church in Washington, DC that evolved from what is considered the oldest incorporated, independent African American denomination in the country. The AUMP Church, founded in Wilmington, Delaware in 1805 by the formerly enslaved Peter Spencer (1782-1843), was incorporated in 1813, some three years before the more prevalent African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church. The St. Paul AUMP Church was built in 1924 and designed by Romulus C. Archer, Jr. (1890-1968), the second African American architect to be registered in the District of Columbia. The St. Paul AUMP Church is the only surviving house of worship from the predominantly African American community that was once located between the Capitol and the Navy Yard. Most of this northern Navy Yard neighborhood, which started developing in the early 19th century, was razed in the late 1930s and early 1940s for public housing that was subsequently replaced by the housing seen today.

This plaque is dedicated to Pastor Karen Mills (1960-2014), a gifted and loving spiritual leader, who was instrumental in attaining historical status for the church.

Image caption:
St. Paul AUMP Church with original stained glass windows, September 4, 1950.
Historical Society of Washington,



D.C., John P. Wymer collection

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Show me all markers in:  Washington, DC  |  20003  |  District Of Columbia  |  United States of America

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