East Bank Architecture #3
Our third feature is Olivet AME Church, located on Notre Dame Avenue. Olivet African Methodist Episcopal Church was founded in March 1870 and is the oldest African American Church in South Bend. Their website provides a deeper look into their history: “Olivet was formally organized by the Rev. J. Bundy, the first pastor, and nine charter members: Mr. and Mrs. Farrow Powell, Mr. and Mrs. James Jackson, Mr. and Mrs. Jesse Bridgeman, James Hurst, J. B. Lott and John Powell. Meetings were held in various homes and then in the old Lafayette School.” The building dates to 1922 and became the new home the Olivet congregation in 1969. Olivet is a stop on the self-guided South Bend African American Landmark Tour, a project of the IUSB Civil Rights Heritage Center.