Evans Metropolitan AME Zion Church, Fayetteville, NC, Guía del visitante y qué hacer cerca

Evans Metropolitan AME Zion Church is a brick Gothic Revival church on Maxwell Street in Fayetteville, North Carolina, recognisable by the twin towers on its front. Its congregation traces back to Henry Evans, a free Black preacher who founded the first church on this site around 1800, which makes it one of the city's oldest Black congregations.

The story behind it

Henry Evans preached here when Fayetteville was a young town, and his congregation was chartered in 1801 as Evans Chapel. At first the worshippers were both Black and white. Over time the congregation became mostly Black, and by 1872, after the Civil War, the chapel had joined the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church.

The church you see today was begun in 1893 and finished in 1894, replacing the earlier building on the site. It is a five-bay Gothic Revival design in brick, with a tower on either side of the front. More than two centuries after Evans began preaching, his name is still carried by the church.

What to look for

• The two towers flanking the entrance give the front its symmetrical, almost fortress-like look, and they are the easiest way to spot the church from along Maxwell Street.
• The pointed arches over the windows and doors are the clearest sign of the Gothic Revival style, a favourite for churches in the late 1800s.
• The brickwork across the facade rewards a closer look, especially the way the five bays divide the front into an even rhythm.
• Look above the entrance for the name Evans, a reminder that the congregation still honours its founder.

Tips for your visit

• Ten to fifteen minutes is enough to see the exterior and read the setting, longer if you want to photograph both towers.
• Morning or late afternoon light is kind to the brick and gives the towers more depth in photos.
• This is a working church, so be respectful of services and events, and check current opening hours or ask whether visits inside are possible.
• The church is close to downtown Fayetteville, so it fits easily into a longer walk through the centre.

See it on a quest

Murder Mystery: Death in the Shadows in Fayetteville, NC is a good way to reach the church on foot as one stop on a longer route through the area. The app tells you about each place as you arrive and sets a puzzle in what is in front of you. It is a paid quest, and one ticket covers the whole group.

Ghost Hunt in Fayetteville, NC suits anyone who likes their history with a shadowy edge. You walk between stops, hear the background of each place as you get there, and solve a puzzle on the spot. It is a paid quest, and one ticket covers the whole group.

Fayetteville, NC Detective Mystery: Infiltrate a Secret Society. turns the streets around the church into a detective trail. The app guides you from place to place, tells you about each one, and sets a puzzle in the scene. It is a paid quest, and one ticket covers the whole group.