Preserving our Past and Cherishing our Future Ephesians 5:15-20 Beginning Monday, April 10, 2023, Historic St. Paul AME Church (HSPAME) will embark upon preserving our church building. We will begin with painting the facade of the building. Then, the work will move inside with updating the lightening fixtures to LED along with devices that save energy consumption. The other areas involved are the basement, which includes updating our kitchen appliances and plumbing fixtures, and repairs to the annex section and educational building. A Brief History Our Building In 1820, what is now known as Historic St. Paul AME (HSPAME) Church was founded when several members of the Methodist Society Church rented a brick horse stable located at 251 North Upper Street from Charles Wilkins. The church operations were supported by free Blacks who were successful entrepreneurs in the community. A local Black preacher named William Smith served as the church's first pastor. Today, HSPAME remains active in the same location in which it was founded and is recognized as being the oldest continuously used existing house of worship in Lexington.
In 1826, the current church building was built. May 1827 per the deed records, Charles Wilkins sold the property to HSPAME members for $280.00 and the lot size was 33 x 95 feet. The Trustees who signed the deed are 3