St Peter African Methodist Episcopal Church

Address: 5295 Sandfort Rd, Se">History of St. Peter Church Cemetery

St. Peter African Methodist Episcopal Church is one of the oldest African-American churches in Russell County, Alabama, dating back to at about 1881. There have been two churches actually – the original church established in the 1880s and a new one built in June 1966. The old church is no longer standing, but its cemetery is located at Hyram and Dusty Roads in Seale, Alabama, Russell County, off Sandfort Road/County Road 22.

Oral history related to the Church links its founding to Peter Chadwick, a former slave living in Russell County, and his wife, Rose Merritt Chadwick. Russell County Probate Court Records showed that Peter and Rose purchased two plots of land there – one in 1870 and the second in 1878. They supposedly set aside part of the land so that a community church could be built. In Peter’s honor, the church was named St. Peter’s. Once the Church was established, however, the Chadwick family never transferred title to the land to the Church.

After Peter’s death in 1898, the Chadwick property passed to his wife, Rose Merritt Chadwick. Because of her advanced age, Rose was not able to maintain the property and so she “leased” parts of it to her surviving daughter and grandchildren. The Church also continued to use the Chadwick land during that time. When Rose died in 1902, the Chadwick property was divided among three heirs according her to will: Sallie Mabry, her daughter; Willie Chadwick, her granddaughter; and Simey Redd, her grandson. When Sallie Mabry died in 1912, she was buried in the church cemetery, a tombstone marking her grave. According to local family members, Peter and Rose Chadwick also were buried in the cemetery, but their graves were never marked.

Simey Redd owned the land which encompassed St. Peter A.M.E. Church and cemetery. Simey also did not grant the Church a deed to the property, but allowed the Church to continue to operate on his property. Simey eventually lost the land to S.V. Williams, who lived in Hurtsboro, Alabama. Williams allowed the congregation to operate the Church and cemetery, but fenced off the property to keep it contained to its boundaries at that time.

As the Church building began to age, the congregation heatedly debated what to do – repair or relocate. In the end, the congregation decided to relocate and rebuild the Church. The old Church building was demolished and recycled its materials to build the new Church.

At the old Church cemetery, several of the tombstones and grave markers have been destroyed over time. In fact, over the years that a transcription of the tombstones has been compiled, many of the tombstones and markers have been broken or covered over by soil and plant growth.

Local descendants of people buried in the old St. Peter cemetery have undertaken significant efforts to clean up and maintain the cemetery. In the early 1980s, the cemetery was extremely overgrown, making access very difficult. By the early 1990s, the cemetery had been cleared of its overgrowth, and the grass was regularly cut. However, many tombstones were broken, destroyed or overturned. Much of the destruction was caused by the very nature of the shifting sands that comprised the land base.

Recently, family members have implemented repairs and enhancements at the old cemetery. Some of the older graves had opened, but are now filled in. The old Church steps, which were the only part of the original building, were demolished for safety reasons. Bits of the steps were scattered around the cemetery. Two urns on pedestals stand at the cemetery’s entrance, and two benches allow visitors time for reflection.

The Alabama Historical Commission administers the Alabama Historic Cemetery Program that gives aid to the general public, government officials, civic groups, and others in identifying, documenting, registering, and conserving Alabama’s historic cemeteries. The Alabama Historic Cemetery Register officially recognizes and honors family and community cemeteries that were established at least 40 years ago. Listing in the state cemetery register is an honorary designation imposing no restrictions on property owners. State law protects all cemeteries from willful desecration and destruction.