Bethel AME Church, Baltimore, and the Maritime U.G.R.R.

In 1787, the Colored Methodist Society separated from Lovely Lane Methodist Church and, in 1802, purchased land on Sharp Street to build the Sharp Street Methodist Church. However, Lovely Lane still controlled it.

Daniel Coker, formerly enslaved in Frederick County, Maryland, escaped to New York City and became ordained in the Methodist Church. He returned to Baltimore in 1801 to preach and became a deacon at Sharp Street Methodist Church. Coker broke away in 1815 to form the African Methodist Bethel Society. In 1816, the Society incorporated Bethel AME Church and adopted its own constitution. The enslaved could attend, but could not become members under Maryland law.

By 1831, over 10,000 enslaved people and over 17,000 free people of color lived in Baltimore. Nat Turner’s rebellion in August that year made the churches even more important to the Maritime Underground Railroad. The church’s location in Baltimore, a major port city, made it a strategic point for aiding those escaping slavery and a beacon of hope. Other AME churches in Philadelphia, New York, Boston, and New Bedford were also essential in supporting abolition and helping those escaping.

After the 1831 rebellion, authorities tightened restrictions on Blacks. Surveillance increased for any groups meeting, as well as for education and civil rights. The white racial hierarchy was to be preserved. Before 1831, Maryland had laws that limited how enslavers could free the enslaved; now it became more difficult.