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William Chapel Missionary Baptist Church, Ruleville

The Ruleville church where Fannie Lou Hamer heard SNCC's call to register in August 1962, why it opened its doors to the movement, and its Freedom Trail marker.

By the FLH Info Editorial Team · Updated · 2 min read

In short

William Chapel Missionary Baptist Church in Ruleville, sometimes written Williams Chapel, was founded in 1922. In August 1962 it hosted the SNCC mass meeting at which Fannie Lou Hamer decided to try to register to vote. Its pastor, Rev. J. D. Story, kept the church open to civil rights meetings, held on Friday nights for years, even after the building was firebombed in June 1964. Hamer's funeral was held there in 1977. A Mississippi Freedom Trail marker stands outside.

Founded
1922
Address
915 Elisha and Everette Langdon St., Ruleville
Pastor in 1962
Rev. J. D. Story
Mass meetings
Fridays at 7:30 p.m., for several years
Firebombed
June 1964, after a civil rights rally
Hamer's funeral
Held at the church in 1977
Marker
Mississippi Freedom Trail No. 26, erected 2018
Two old metal water towers labeled Hot and Cold against a pale sky in Ruleville
Ruleville's "Hot" and "Cold" water towers, photographed in 2015. Photo: Magnolia677, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

What happened at William Chapel in 1962?

In August 1962 the church hosted one of the first SNCC voter registration meetings in Sunflower County, and Fannie Lou Hamer, then 44, raised her hand when organizers asked who would go to the courthouse. She later said she had never heard before that Black people had a constitutional right to vote. On August 31 she and seventeen others rode a bus from Ruleville to Indianola to try to register. See the biography for what followed.

Why did this church open its doors?

Many Delta churches refused to host civil rights meetings for fear of being burned, but the congregation's leaders at William Chapel kept the doors open. The Freedom Trail marker credits Rev. J. D. Story, who was pastor when SNCC arrived, with opening the church to civil rights groups when other churches would not. It quotes his saying that the doors of the church were open. Mary Tucker, a leader of the Sunflower County movement, in whose house Hamer stayed after her eviction, was one of the church's founding trustees.

Mass meetings were held on Friday nights at 7:30 for several years. They followed a pattern common across the movement: prayer, singing, reports from organizers, testimonies from people who had tried to register, and a collection.

What happened to the church in 1964?

The church was firebombed in June 1964 after a civil rights rally. It was one of dozens of Black churches in Mississippi burned or bombed that summer. The congregation kept meeting.

What other history happened here?

In 1977 Fannie Lou Hamer's funeral was held at William Chapel. The marker says more than 5,000 people came; other accounts describe an overflow service at Ruleville Central High School, where Andrew Young spoke. The church remains an active congregation.

How do I find it?

The church and its Freedom Trail marker are at 915 Elisha and Everette Langdon Street, at the corner of O B Avenue, in Ruleville. The memorial garden is a short drive away on Byron Street. Please respect services and church property when you visit.

Questions readers ask

Is it William Chapel or Williams Chapel?

The Mississippi Freedom Trail marker uses William Chapel. Many books and articles write Williams Chapel. Both refer to the same Ruleville church.

Can you visit William Chapel?

The marker stands outside and can be seen at any time. The church is an active congregation; visitors should contact it before planning to attend or enter.

Who spoke at the 1962 meeting Hamer attended?

Accounts generally name SNCC's James Forman and SCLC's James Bevel among the speakers at the late-August meeting, along with local organizers. The SNCC Digital Gateway records that SNCC field workers Charles McLaurin, Charlie Cobb and Landy McNair had been introduced in Ruleville by Amzie Moore that summer.

Sources

  1. William Chapel (Mississippi Freedom Trail marker No. 26)Historical Marker Database; marker erected by Mississippi Development Authority, 2018
  2. Amzie MooreSNCC Digital Gateway
  3. Fannie Lou HamerSNCC Digital Gateway
  4. Fannie Lou HamerWikipedia (funeral details)

We checked every date and name on this page against the sources above. If you find an error, write to contact@fannielouhamer.info.

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