Official Site of The State of New Jersey

In 1811, a group of African American residents formed Trenton’s first Religious Society of Free Africans of the City of Trenton. In 1817, the Bishop Richard Allen, founder of the AME, assisted the society with reorganizing under the banner of the AME, becoming one of New Jersey's earliest AME congregations. The property on Perry Street was purchased in 1818 and the first church building was completed in 1819. The name was changed to Mount Zion in 1834. The first church building was later enlarged in 1858 and then replaced by the current building in 1876. Joseph H. Morgan in his book, History of the New Jersey Conference of the A.M.E. Church, described the new building as "the cathedral of the New Jersey Conference." A Trenton Evening Times article printed on May 12, 1946, stated that bodies were removed from the burial ground at the rear of the Mount Zion AME Church to the Locust Hill Cemetery for construction of the new building. In 1952-53, the front of the building was extended about twenty feet towards Peny Street to enlarge the main sanctuary and add office and meeting space in the balcony.    

The Mount Zion AME Church was the center of Trenton's African American community and throughout its history, the congregation worked to serve the needs of the community. The church established a nursery for African American children on Belvidere Street, considered the first in Trenton. A credit union was established by the Mount Zion AME Church at a time when African Americans could receive limited financial support from commercial sources. During the civil rights era, nationally known speakers at the church included W.E. B. Dubois, Roy Wilkins, and Rosa Parks. In 1970, the Mount Zion AME Church received a grant from the United States Department of Health, Education, and Welfare to establish a group home for girls. 

The 2024 Trust grant will help fund the preparation of New Jersey and National Register of Historic Places nomination.