County of church: Franklin County
Location of church: Selmer St. & High St., New Haven, MO
Built: 1893
The Person:
Anna Bell
Born: 1826 - Died: 1905
Grave Site
" ... According to local sources the
church was founded in 1865 by a former slave, Anna Pryor Bell who
moved to the area after the Civil War from nearby Montgomery County
where she was born in the vicinity of Big Springs. With the help,
of neighbors she erected a log cabin which was used for services.
Deed and tax records indicate that Anna Bell (nee Terry) owned
42.74 acres in Boeuf Township, located between Etlah and the town
of New Haven, an area where several black farming families were
found in land and census records of the late 19th and early 20th
centuries ... "
"Due to periodic flooding in the Missouri River bottomlands, the
site of the first church eventually was found to be unsuitable and
a more secure location was sought. Local newspaper accounts
describe Anna Bell's dedicated, untiring efforts to raise money for
the relocation, soliciting funds from white families in the area.
As recounted by the wife of Anna Bell's grandson, Paul Pryor, "Anna was the one who got it all together. She used to ride horseback,
they tell me, to collect those nickels and dimes. [The white
people] all seemed to like her; they all gave her money. She worked
out in the fields, chopping corn and tending stock but she did a
lot of church work."
"Among the church trustees who signed the building contract, dated
July 6, 1893, was Anna Bell, a 67-year-old literate black woman who
was born in Missouri in 1826 to an African mother and Tennessee born father, according to the 1900 Federal census. That census
also reported Anna had been married 32 years to Ned Bell, a
Missouri-born farmer, and was the mother of seven children, three
of whom were living. (Other sources indicate she previously was
married to a man whose surname was Pryor). Anna Bell was listed in
1900 living on a farm in the vicinity of Berger/Etlah in Boeuf
Township whose 359 households included 34 black families (chiefly
farmers), of which at least five could be identified as members of
the New Haven A.M.E. Church.
"Sometime after Anna Bell's death in 1905 the A.M.E. Church became
known as the Anna Bell Chapel in honor of the essential role she
played in the church's founding and upbuilding. " ~ NRHP
The Place:
"Erected in 1893, the A.M.E. Church of New Haven is a one story,
rectangular, frame church building of vernacular design located at
225 Selma Street in the City of New Haven, Franklin County,
Missouri. The exterior and interior survive with only minor
alterations. An historic one-story, frame privy, located at the
rear of the church property, is included in the building count.
"Facing south, the weatherboarded building measures approximately 24
feet 5 inches wide with a depth of 30 feet five inches; it rests on
low piers of undetermined material which are concealed under metal
sheathing which wraps the base of the structure. The front-gabled
roof is sheathed with corrugated metal. Double doors, featuring a
round-arched fanlight, provide entry to the church. East and west
(side) elevations are articulated with tall, round-arched windows
(double-hung with 9-over-9 lights) which are fitted with original
louvered shutters, painted green (Photos f1, #2). A small
rectangular chancel with hipped roof projects from the rear (north)
wall; small windows pierce the side walls of the chancel (Photo
#3). Situated behind the church building is a small, frame double door privy which is partially clad with corrugated metal (Photo
#3).
"The interior of the church (Photo #4) features original millwork
including window surrounds, tongue-and-groove ceiling and
wainscoting; the wood flooring is also intact. A raised platform
or rostrum separates the choir/clergy space from the congregational
assembly space. An arch on the north wall defines the projecting
chancel space which features a painting depicting Christ as the
Good Shepherd. Historic church furniture includes railback chairs,
a pulpit, and three large arm chairs for the clergy. The only
evidence of alteration is the addition of small partitioned spaces
at the south (entry) end of the building which were installed for
storage and a bathroom (Ground Floor Plan)." ~ NRHP Nomination Form
"Architectural Description: This is a one-story frame gable front
church constructed in 1894. The building has a stone pier and
concrete foundation, gable roof of corrugated metal, interior
brick flue and exterior of weatherboard siding. The main
entrance has six panel double doors and an elliptical transom.
Windows are arched but configuration is not visible. Window
openings are enclosed with original louvered shutters. In the
gable is an elliptical vent.
"Historical Significance: The Anna Bell Chapel is significant for
its role in ethnic history and for its architecture. The building
is the only property presently listed on the National Register in
New Haven." ~ DNR Historic Survey, PDF page 995