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HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION OF SOUTH BEND AND ST. JOSEPH COUNTY Phone: 574/235.9371 Fax: 574/235.9021 Email: hpcsbsjc@southbendin.gov Among the other early charter members of the Olivet A.M.E. Church were Mrs. Pharoah Powell, Mrs. James Jack- son, Mr. and Mrs. Jesse Birdgeman, Mr. J. B. Lott, and Mr. John Powell. The first trustees, Pharoah Powell, James Jackson, and Jaynes Hurst purchased this site in 1871. Shortly thereafter, the first church was erected on this site in the late 1870’s under the direction of Rev. Bundy. This structure was remodeled under the leadership of Rev. George W. Benson. Late in 1915 plans were made for a new church during the administration of Reverend C. Emery Allen. Construction work on the present structure was completed in 1917. On February 4, 1917 the new church was dedicated during the Michigan Annua1 Conference, by Right Reverend C. S. Smith, Presiding Bishop. The pipe organ was unveiled October 23, 1917 under the pastorate of Rev. A. T. Read- ing.[5] In 1969, the Olivet A.M.E. Church purchased the former Lowell Heights Methodist Church at 719 N. Notre Dame Avenue. They sold this building to James and Bonnie Baxter at that time. The Baxters converted the Church into a center for dance instruction and performance. The building was restored to a place of worship in the latter part of 1981 when the Southhold Dancecenter inc. sold it to the Greater Tabernacle Christian Church. In April of 1986. South Bend’s Department of Redevelopment purchased the structure as part of the land acquisitions related to the development of Coveleski Stadium. The Reverend Robert H. Derrickson leased the structure for eight years as the sanctary of Zion Hill Missionary Baptist Church. In 1994, Zion Hill purchased the structure. Reverend Derrickson served as pastor for nineteen years until his passing in 2005. Zion Hill continued to hold services and care for the structure. In 2017, in a sign of the warm relationship between Olivet, the oldest African American congregation, and Zion Hill as the caretakers of the for- mer Olivet sanctuary, Zion Hill hosted a 100th anniversary celebration for the building. Olivet’s pastor, the Rever- end Rick Jackson, spoke at the celebration.[6] NOTES 2. Olivet A.M.E. Church: Program - 100th Anniversary Banquet 3. Howard, Timothy Edward; A History of Saint Joseph County, Indina; pg. 413 4. Sanborn Map Compa- ny; Saint Joseph County, Indiana, 1917; pg. 47 5. Olivet A.M.E. Church; Program - 100th Anniversary Banquet 6. . “Zion Hill Missionary Baptist Church,” South Bend Civil Rights History Encyclopedia (to be published), Indiana University South Bend Civil Rights Heritage Center, 2026. The section on Historic Development relies partially on the information gathered for the Indiana Historic Sites and Structures Survey, this document credits the following sources: Deed Book (St. Joseph County) pg. 189; So. Bend Tribune - Dec. 1, 1985, pg. c3; Assessment Card (St. Joseph County) 1979: So. Bend Tribune - Dec. 21, 1971.