Wheaton Then and Now: New Creation Church

Allen Chapel African Methodist Episcopal Church (AME) was established on Dayton Street in Wheaton in 1870.

It was named for Richard Allen, a former slave who had bought his freedom in 1782. He was not able to pray in the segregated church and vowed to establish his own church. With two friends, formed Allen Chapel and was among the first seven original AME churches in the nation.

Founding members, Henry Walker and George and Jerry Gaither, who became trustees, purchased the land for building the church from William and Lucretia Batchelor.  The Batchelors sold the one acre property for $100.  The founding members are buried in the cemetery in front of the church.

Not only were the founding church members concerned with worshiping and ministering to the community but also with the minds of the children.  In 1880, the church was the site of the first school for black people in the Wheaton area.

The site now is home to which was established under the leadership of Dr. Ella V. Redfield in the fall of 1994.  New Creation held its first worship service on Sunday, December 4, 1994 at the Wheaton Presbyterian Church of Wheaton.  On October 1, 2000, the church moved to the Dayton Street location.