By Julia Train
The Allen African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church of Cape May is in the midst of being transformed into the Clemans Theater at Allen AME Church, which will serve as the first permanent home for the 45-year-old East Lynne Theater Company later this year.
During renovations, a handwritten note or possible receipt was uncovered by Kyle Carter of DKC Contractors as he worked on scaffolding in the rafters. The note, written on aged parchment and nailed to a beam in the rafters, reads:
To all whom this may concern,
Elwood Rowland, formerly of Media, PA
Daniel Galvin, [formerly of] Phila
Plastered this church during
The month of June for $250
Rev. Dr. Newton, Pastor
[unclear]
At the top of the note, it’s dated “Cape May June 19, 1891,” which coincidentally falls on Juneteenth, a day that commemorates the end of slavery in the United States.
“For us to be restoring a Black church in a historic Black neighborhood and that date to be on that note, it really gave us all a pause because it started to illuminate that there’s more to what we’re doing here,” said Mark David Boberick, co-board president of East Lynne Theater Company. “We’re not just saving a building, but now we are tasked with telling the stories of the community. I think it was a little wink from the Divine.”
The writer of the note, Rev. Dr. Alexander Herritage Newton, was born in North Carolina as the son of a freed Black woman and an enslaved father. He worked as a servant until he and his parents relocated to New York in the 1850s, then gained an education and eventually enlisted in the Union Army in 1863. He was part of the 29th Connecticut Volunteers, a regiment in the U.S. Colored Troops, and was promoted to sergeant.
He then went on to become a pastor of the Allen AME Church from 1889 to 1892, a supporter of the Underground Railroad and an abolitionist.
In his autobiography, “Out of the Briars: An Autobiography and Sketch of the Twenty-Ninth Regiment, Connecticut Volunteers,” Newton briefly mentions his time in Cape May, stating that the church was in need of plastering work, which is what the receipt is for.
“The church building was not plastered or seated, so we decided to borrow money for this purpose,” Newton wrote in his autobiography, according to a press release by East Lynne Theatre Company.
The church, which has long been a cornerstone of Cape May’s African American community, was nearly destroyed by fire in 2018.
On Friday, Dec. 15, 2023, Cape May resident Christina Clemans presented a check to East Lynne Theater Company that officially launched a $1.2 million capital campaign to save the building. East Lynne Theatre Company then signed a 25-year lease to occupy it. It will now bear the name “Clemans Theater at Allen AME Church” in their honor.
This spring, the Clemans Theater at Allen AME Church is set to officially open at 717 Franklin St. in Cape May. The East Lynne Theater Company is raising money for renovations.
The company can have year-round programming once the new space opens, including plays, jazz and art exhibits. It will be the newest addition to Cape May’s new cultural district, which includes the Harriet Tubman Museum and a new 16,000-square-foot library that was formerly the Franklin Street School, which was an elementary school for African American students.
Until the theater is ready for productions, which Boberick hopes will be in 2027, East Lynne Theater Company will host installations and exhibits at the AME theater, while theatrical productions will be performed at the First Presbyterian Church.
Julia is a recent Rider University graduate, where she studied multiplatform journalism and social media strategies. In her spare time, she enjoys reading, trying new coffee shops, photography and the beach. She can be reached at juliatrainmedia@gmail.com or connect with her on Instagram @juliatrain
