Monday, January 26, 2015

Big Zion A.M.E. Church Cornerstones

Big Zion A.M.E. Church in Roseland, LA 
In 1903, George Watson and his wife Winnie Smith Watson grant, Bargain and Sell, Assign, Convey, Set over and delivered unto Lemuel Irving, Rubin Brown, Jr., Jake Leonard, Sr., Lard and J.S. Callahan, Trustees of Big Zion School in Roseland, Louisiana.

A parcel of land comprising of six acres more or less and being all of Lot number sixty-three in plat of Roseland, Col only. Township three saith, Range from (7) east in Parish of Tangipahoa, State of Louisiana, except four (4) acres owned by Big Zion Church, the same having been acquired by this vendor from Mary E. Scott by act passed before me August 18, 1902 and recorded in the Records of Tangipahoa in Conveyance Book No 8 at the clerk's office in Amite, Louisiana.

Big Zion School was and all African American school. My mother and some of her siblings attended Big Zion. On the land sits the church, cemetery and school. I took a picture of the cornerstone and found the following;

"Big Zion A.M.E. Zion Church," Mother Zion Church in the LA. conference established 1860. The new church dedicated on March 16, 1980. Rev. C.O. Newton, M.Th, Pastor., Rev. Hollis Calahan, Pres. Elder., The Rev. Arthur Marshall, Jr.,  Bishop.



Trustees

Leona Morris, Charlie Morris, Rosetta Garrett, Alvin Deamer, Fannie Johnson, Idella Dorsby, J.C. Pikens, Robert Solomon, Rev. C. O. Newton, Wilelmina Leonard, Secretary and Willie Andrews, Chairman., Laid August 10, 1980 by M.W. Prince Hall Grand Lodge.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-y2HgMCUSck