Varick AME Zion Church

Varick African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church: A Legacy of Faith and Freedom

Founded in 1818, the Varick African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church is the earliest African American church in New Haven, the third oldest in the A.M.E.Z. denomination, and one of the oldest African American churches in the United States. The congregation was formed when more than thirty African Americans, with the support of Bishop James Varick of New York, left the Methodist Church to establish their own space for worship, community, and activism.

A History of Resilience

• In 1841, the church acquired its first permanent building at Broad and Hospital Streets in the Hill neighborhood, but it was tragically destroyed by fire a year later.
• In 1866, the congregation purchased a former Methodist church on East Pearl Street, which was relocated to Foote Street in Dixwell in 1872.
• The current church building was completed in 1908, and in 1915, Booker T. Washington delivered his final public speech here, just one month before his passing.
• In 1990, the church expanded by purchasing the adjacent property at 246 Dixwell Avenue.

A Connection to the Underground Railroad

The Varick A.M.E. Zion Church is purportedly recognized as a New Haven Underground Railroad site, reinforcing its historic role in the struggle for freedom and civil rights. For over 200 years, the church has remained a pillar of faith, activism, and African American heritage in Connecticut.

This site is open to the public