Pope Chapel AME Zion Church
Pope, Mississippi
Reverend Nehemiah Martin, Pastor
Presiding Elder, Memphis - Pope District

The physical structure is one of the most unique church buildings in Panola County.  Locally known as “The Rock Church”, it stands tall as if reaching toward the heavens.  It is an old sandstone structure that was completed in 1935 after two previous structures burned.

Pope Chapel African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Zion Church started as a “Bush Harbor" on what was called the “River Road”, part of the old Pope Brothers plantation, which was located approximately one-half mile south of the present site.  This was during the late 1850’s when a group of God-fearing slaves were brought in from Georgia by Ben and Billy Pope (aka the Pope Brothers) to aid in the construction of the railroad.  This ”Bush Harbor” which was a room-like structure, made by placing  wooden poles in the ground and then covering them over with tree branches.  The seats were of thick planks held up by pegs and without backs.  Nevertheless, this served as a place of worship for quite some time.  They used this “Bush Harbor" until after the civil war.  

The Pope Brothers gave a piece of land (about 2 acres) to 3 of their most well-liked slaves, namely, Charles Wesley Shaw, Ben Green and Tony Barefield, to construct a building to be used as a place of worship and for education.  This is the land on which the present church stands today.

The first structure was built of wood sometime between 1872 and 1874, during slavery.  During that period, the town of Pope was called Acadia, MS.  It was renamed “Pope Station” in 1872 and later was known as Pope after the railroad had been completed. 

Charles Wesley Shaw, who had been trained as a carpenter before leaving his native home of Georgia, roughly built the structure by himself.  It was given the name of Pope Chapel and joined the existing West Tennessee and Mississippi Conference of the AME Zion Connection; Rev. A.T. Turner was the first Pastor. The school was known as Pope Chapel School and held classes for grades one through eight.  The current oldest active member, Cora Gleeton born in 1905, remembers going to school there as a young child.  The structure was destroyed by fire in 1922.

 A new building was soon erected under the leadership of Rev. A.H. Hamner of Clarksdale.  This structure was built with a high steeple and had a huge bell that the janitor used as means for tolling, anytime day or night, when someone expired.   This building was also destroyed by fire in 1931.  Until another building could be constructed the congregation worshiped in a building called the Lodge Hall which previously had been used for secret meetings.

One of the sons of Charles Wesley Shaw was consecrated a Bishop of the African Methodist Episcopal Zion connection.  This was Benjamin Garland Shaw (known by his family and friends as Grant Shaw).

He was later assigned to the Tennessee conference by the Episcopal Committee.  After the church burned for a second time, it was his idea to build a church with sand rocks dug from the earth, something that would not burn.  His plan met with the approval of the board of trustees and members of the church.  Afterwards, Bishop Shaw sent Rev Cornelius B. Simmons from the Tennessee Conference to pastor Pope Church. 

The new building was started in 1932 by a white man named Mr. Roebuck, who gave up after completing the basement.  Church members completed most of the remaining work themselves under the direction of Rev. Simmons, who also happened to be the only stone mason among the church membership. The men used their spare time and what little money they had to assist Rev Simmons.  They carried the native sandstone by mule and wagon some 30 miles from a rock pit east of Oxford, MS.  The women would bring dinners to feed them.  According to records “The Rock Church” was completed in the fall of 1935 with rock walls inside out; they are not made of veneer.    

Like a river, the history of this church had to change its course at various points in time.  But whatever its former direction, it is the same church and today can proudly look back and see that the work of the founding fathers were not toiled in vain, because the church can boast of the products that have arrived from their teachings.

Pope Chapel AME Zion Church currently has a congregation of well over 100 members, which include descendants of its builders.  Service is held on Sundays at 11:00am and located at 7813 Pope-Crowder Road, Pope, MS 38658.