CROSS STREET AME ZION CHURCH
The Cross Street A.M.E. Zion Church was founded by Reverend James Anderson in 1823. It is part of the African Methodist Episcopal Zion denomination that was established in 1796 in New York under the direction of James Varick, in first Bishop, The Reverend Jehiel Beaman, the son of a former slave from Colchester, became the first Pastor of A.M.E. Zion Church. An avid abolitionist, he was not only a formidable leader of the church but extremely active in the small African American community in the City of Middletown and became an important leader in the abolitionist and temperance movements on a state-wide level. Due to his involvement, this church was called “The Freedom Church” by many people.