AME Zion Church leaders moved their publishing operation to Charlotte in 1894. For decades, the AME Zion Publishing House operated out of the James Varick building, named for the first Bishop of the AME Zion Church. It became the intellectual center for Black political and spiritual life in the South, publishing The Star of Zion, one of the most important Black newspapers in the country. Historic photo: Courtesy of The Charlotte Observer.
Meeting of Board of Directors of AME Zion Publishing House, on the porch of the building at Myers and E. 8th Streets. Front row, left to right: Dr. Gales of Livingstone College, Bishop A. J. Warner, Bishop George Clinton, Dr. Atkins of what was then Winston-Salem State College. Back row: Reverend Simmons, Reverend S. D. Watkins, Reverend E. L. Marable, and Reverend Bennett. Courtesy of the Robinson-Spangler Carolina Room – Charlotte Mecklenburg Library.
