The Turner African Methodist Episcopal Church was built in 1891 and opened under Reverend William Roberts in 1892. The congregation included African Americans from Oakville and Bronte, and united members of the British Methodist Episcopal and African Methodist Episcopal churches.
The Church was named after Bishop Henry Turner, a well-known preacher and community worker, whom President Lincoln had named as the first African American Chaplain in the United States Armed Forces.
As well as being an important religious centre, the Turner Chapel became a hub of social activity. The Church choirs were of a very high calibre, and often traveled on exchanges to other local churches. Revival meetings were well attended, operettas were organized and performed, and garden parties were held in the summer time.
The congregation remained very active for nearly 100 years. Renovated in 1991, the Turner Chapel still stands today at 37 Lakeshore Road West, between Chisholm and Wilson Streets.
© Oakville Museum at Erchless Estate, The Corporation of the Town of Oakville, 2000
The following information is reproduced from the display panels in the exhibit “Oakville’s Black History”, as written and designed by Deborah Hudson, Curator of Collections, Oakville Museum at Erchless Estate.
