The Goodwin Memorial African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church is a historic church on Woodside Avenue in Amherst, Massachusetts. It is a member of the National African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church denomination, which is historically African American and began in the United States. The history of the Goodwin Memorial African Methodist Episcopal (A.M.E.) Zion Church in Amherst, Massachusetts is an important part of the broader context of African American history. The A.M.E. Zion denomination was created in conjunction with growing African American identities. Locally, the Goodwin Memorial A.M.E. Zion Church is one of the few physical structures that speaks to the rich African American history and heritage in the town of Amherst and surrounding areas.
Early history
After the American Civil War, many African Americans migrated north to escape the discriminatory laws and violence of the South. Despite improved social conditions in northern states, African Americans largely remained second-class citizens. Houses of worship aided African American individuals struggling to build a sense of community, identity, and autonomy. This process occurred in Amherst with the creation of the Zion Chapel, built on Amherst College property in 1869. The African American congregation was primarily drawn from the area of Amherst now known as the Westside Historic District, encompassing sections of Baker and Snell streets, Northampton Road, and Hazel Avenue.
As the African American community expanded and the white congregation diminished, Zion members organized in the early 1900s to construct a new church with no affiliation to the college. The Zion members were initially denied independence by a regional conference of Congregational churches; however, members of Zion Chapel, including Moses and Anna Goodwin, refused to wait for approval. They formed a congregation of their own, calling themselves Union Church. They found a space to worship in the Amherst Town Hall. During their time in the town hall, community members solicited the support of local citizens and sympathetic members of the college community to secure funds for a building of their own. Booker T. Washington visited in 1904 to help raise additional funds.
Fundraising efforts produced a total of $611.10, which the Union Church used to buy a parcel of land in 1907. In the same year, the Union Church became officially affiliated with the national African Methodist Episcopal (A.M.E.) Zion Organization, whose theological beliefs challenged the notion that African Americans were second-class citizens. In 1909, the parcel transferred to Moses Goodwin who owned it during the time of construction of the church in 1910. Construction was completed in the summer of 1910 and the cornerstone was laid during a dedication ceremony on July 10, 1910, celebrating the African American community's successful efforts to gain independence.
The Goodwin family
Moses Goodwin (1854-1923) was a local African American community leader who owned a bicycle repair and locksmith shop in Amherst town center. He was born in South Carolina and moved to Amherst after the Civil War along with many other African Americans. In 1891, Moses married Anna Reed (1869-1943), affectionately known throughout town as “Ma” Goodwin. She ran the “Colonial Inn,” a boarding house for Amherst College students and gained local fame for her cooking, especially apple pie. Moses and Anna had three daughters: Olive, Amy, and Ruth.
In 1914, Moses Goodwin transferred ownership of the land and building to the trustees of the church. He remained extremely active in the church, serving as a trustee, treasurer, and benefactor of the A.M.E. Zion Church.
The Goodwin family were regular attendees and active members of the church community. Anna Goodwin was also a core member of the church community, serving on the musical committee of Zion Chapel before joining the A.M.E. Zion Church. According to Moses’ daughter, Ruth, the church was a core element of African American community life in Amherst. Often Sundays at the church were filled with social and religious activities that lasted all day. Amy directed the choir of the A.M.E. Zion Church for a time, thus perpetuating the musical tradition in the family. Ruth regularly attended the church until her death in 1993.
In 1967, the church was renamed Moses Goodwin Memorial A.M.E. Zion church in honor of Moses Goodwin and his family for their long-time service to the church and to the African American community of Amherst.