Payne Chapel AME Canonsburg
November 7, 2025 11:30 AM to 1:30 PM:
Learn & Lunch: Forgotten Valor: USCT at Payne Chapel at Peters Township Public Library. Registration required.
November 8, 2025 NOON:
Union Veterans Stone Dedication at Payne Chapel Cemetery, Canonsburg.
See Schedule of Events for details
PAYNE CHAPEL
AFRICAN METHODIST EPISCOPAL
CHURCH AND CEMETERY
Canonsburg, PA
Church founded in 1824
Cemetery established in 1854
History unfolds as we explore the lives of
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CHURCH FOUNDERS
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VETERANS including 30 USCT
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OTHERS from this small African American community
PAYNE CHAPEL
AFRICAN METHODIST EPISCOPAL
CHURCH AND CEMETERY
Payne Chapel is one of the oldest African Methodist Episcopal congregations west of the Allegheny Mountains. It was founded in 1824 in the area of the former Morganza Farm by a group of African Americans, some born free and some formerly enslaved. The congregation built the first church at this site in 1856.
The cemetery was established in 1854 and is the burial site of founders of the church, at least one conductor of the Underground Railroad, veterans of several U. S. wars, and members of the surrounding area who made up the African American communities of southwestern Pennsylvania.
Become Part of History
The Cemetery
The cemetery was established in 1854 by an act of the Pennsylvania legislature. The earliest date-of-death recorded on a headstone is that of John Durham who died in 1858. The latest burial seems to be that of Kathryn McGant in 1995. There are over 800 burials here but most have no headstone. Four founders of the church are buried here as well as veterans of several wars.
Click the photo above to learn more.
Volunteer
Join a Team to prune back low hanging branches, load debris onto the pickup truck, weed flower beds in front of the church, fill in low spots/holes with soil, and other tasks as assigned.
Click the photo above to learn more.
Schedule of Events
Join us at special events to commemorate the individuals buried at Payne Chapel and engage with the community in honoring their legacy.
Click the photo above to learn more.
