Simpson Chapel AME Church - Callaway County, MO - Country Churches on Waymarking.com

County of church: Callaway County
Location of church: CR-269, ¾ mile N. of I-70, 5 miles N. of Millersburg
Church built: 1954
Phone: (573) 387-4696
Pastor: Rev. Zellbrick Preston

Church Marquee Text:

"According to the cornerstone, this congregation organized in 1881 under J.A. Simpson. Current building constructed in 1954. The congregation may have originally been associated with the Monicle AME (sometimes spelled Monacle and Monocle) Church, which is referenced in historic maps. An earlier church building is shown at this rough location in the 1897 Callaway County Atlas. At that time the surrounding land was owned by A. Simpson, likely a relative of the church founder.

" The church is located half way between the small settlements of Stephens Store and Lindberg, in an area of scattered commercial, residential development interspersed among agricultural land. The small church is fronted by a gravel parking lot, and the cemetery is to the west and north of the church. Some of the graves in the cemetery are likely unmarked, though low stones mark many. The graves face east and are laid in long north-south running rows.

"Constructed in 1954, this concrete block gable-end church has an original wing flush with the façade. The broad gable front-facing gable has paired entrance doors with a simple wood surround. At the southeast corner is a cornerstone which gives the date of organization of the congregation and the construction date for the church. The gable end is filled with Masonite (?) siding. The side gable wing has a lower pitched roof than the main block of the building. Rafter tails show along the roofline. There is a secondary entrance and two windows on its east elevation."
~ Rural Churches of Callaway County, Missouri Department of Natural Resources, PDF page 299