St. David A.M.E. Zion Church (1840) Sag Harbor, NY

Believed to have been an Underground Railroad station.  Originally built by Lewis Cuffee and Eastville neighbors in 1840.

St. David A.M.E. Zion Church was built by Indians and Blacks in the area, many of whom were outstanding whalers working in the Sag Harbor Whaling Industry.  Some of he founders had been members of the local Methodist Church for may years.  The Sag Harbor Express newspaper in 1860 described the departure from the Methodist church as follows:

“. . . In 1839 when the number increased to such an extent that it was thought expedient for them to separate and form their distinct communion, a plain building was erected and dedicated in 1840 by Rev. Christopher Bush, superintendent of presiding Elders of the districts.”

Rev. John Thompson, the first minister of the church, is known as an outstanding scholar and a strong abolitionist.  Although he became an A.M.E. Zion Bishop in later years, he and his wife continued to keep Sag Harbor as their residence.  Rev. Thompson was married to Ann M. Jupieter, a local member of St. David Church.  The membership of the first organization of the church was 16 and by 1860 there were 50 members.  Although it continued to have a very limited number of members throughout the years, St. David has been able to maintain its status in conference with continuous services for its members.

Between 1840 and 1860 fourteen ministers had served St. David Church which was referred to as the African A.M.E. Zion Church.  Articles in the newspaper since 1860 have enabled us to count 56 ministers from 1860 to the present time.  In 1891 the Church was remodeled under the leadership of the Rev. Abram Anderson.  There were several news articles giving accounts of the remodeling activities and the dedication services.  The following gives a detailed description of the appearance of the church at the time.

Once again it is rumored St. David Church was part of the Underground Railroad; many of the old Eastville residents speak of slave runaways moving through, as if it were common knowledge.  When one considers the fact that St. David’s first minister, Rev. John P. Thompson, was traveled throughout the A.M.E. Zion Conference, it is not hard to accept the possibility that he could have influenced the escape route of slaves which could have been through Sag Harbor.

Rev. Thompson and his wife Mary are buried in the cemetery across the street from the Church.  This cemetery dates to at least 1846.  The last burial was during the fall of 1985.

The Eastville Community Historical Society has undertaken the project of restoring and preserving the building as well as researching its history.  A request has been made to extend the Historic district of Sag Harbor to include St. David as well as all of the Eastville section of the village.  Application has been made to place the Church on the National Register of Historic Places.  The present minister is the Rev. Carol Pharaoh.

(SOURCE: KATHLEEN TUCKER, EASTVILLE COMMUNITY HISTORICAL SOCIETY, 2003)