KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — A place of faith. A storehouse of history. A center in the fight for civil rights.
In East Knoxville, Logan Temple AME Zion Church has stood for 160 years as more than just a house of worship. Since its founding in 1865, the church has served as a spiritual anchor for the Black community, and a launching point for education, civic engagement, and social justice.
“Since its founding, Logan Temple has been a citadel for freedom, for liberty and for justice,” said Senior Pastor Rev. Sam Brown.
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The church’s legacy began in the immediate aftermath of the Civil War. Rev. Brown notes that the first school established in Knox County to educate newly emancipated enslaved people was founded through Logan Temple when the congregation was located downtown on Commerce Street. The church also hosted meetings of the Freedmen’s Association, where Black citizens organized and demanded voting rights during Reconstruction…