The First Congregational Church of Marion has been awarded a $500,000 grant from the Preserving Black Churches program, a part of the African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund under the National Trust for Historic Preservation. The funding will support critical repairs, including stabilizing and restoring the church’s foundation and addressing other pressing structural needs.
Located at 601 Clay Street in Marion’s West Marion Historic District, the First Congregational Church is the oldest unaltered African American church in the region. It was founded in 1869 on the campus of Lincoln Normal School by freed slaves and representatives of the American Missionary Association. The current church building was completed in 1871 and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.
The Preserving Black Churches program was established to support historically Black churches and the communities they serve. Since its launch in 2023, it has provided resources to congregations across the country, helping them address preservation challenges and continue their roles as centers of spiritual and cultural heritage.
The African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund is the largest resource dedicated to the preservation of historic Black places in the United States, with more than $150 million in funding. To learn more about the program and this year’s grant recipients, visit savingplaces.org/blackchurches
