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INTERESTING MASONIC CONNECTIONS
ZION CHAPEL A.M.E. CHURCH, Hattiesburg, Mississippi
The Zion Chapel A.M.E. Church is just around the corner from the Eureka School on E. 6th Street in Hattiesburg, Mississippi.
It was built in 1982 and the cornerstone was placed by local Freemasons.
We went to the area to check out some historical sites associated with blues history. While there we discovered two buildings associated with local Freemasons: the Zion Chapel A.M.E. Church and the Eureka School.
The cornerstone of the Zion Chapel A.M.E. Church was placed by local Freemasons in 1982.
The inscription on the cornerstone reads:
"ZION CHAPEL A.M.E. CHURCH
AUGUST 1982
Trustees: Annie Mae James, Maggie B. Heard, Rubye W. Bell, Earline Boyd, Percy Mack Sr, Charles Leggett Sr, Thomas J. Breland, Forrest Nelson, Henrietta Stevenson, Charles Clark, Ruth Carter, Juanita Curry, Barry Donald, Beatrice Williams
Rev E.D. Scott, Pastor: Rev. James Manley, P.E.R.T., Rev. Frank C. Cummings, Bishop.
LAID BY M.M. STRINGER GRAND LODGE F. & A.M., H.M. THOMPSON, G.M.
Check out our page on Eureka School, which is just around the corner from the Zion Chapel A.M.E. Church in Hattiesburg, Mississippi.
We discovered the Zion Chapel A.M.E. Church and the Eureka School after we went to this neighbourhood to see the nearby Mississippi Blues Trail marker commemorating the Roots of Rock and Roll. The marker reads:
"ROOTS OF ROCK AND ROLL - Rock and roll is rooted in the blues of Mississippi. The Mississippi Jook Band (brothers Roosevelt and Uaroy Graves and pianist Cooney Vaughn) earned a niche in the annals of rock after they recorded in Hattiesburg in 1936, nearly two decades before rock and roll exploded in the 1950s. The Rolling Stone Illustrated History of Rock and Roll noted that their blues recordings "featured fully formed rock and roll guitar riffs and a stomping rock and roll beat." "
That description is quite accurate. Here are some mp3 downloads of the four known recordings by the Mississippi Jook Band: Barbeque Bust ; Dangerous Woman , Hittin' The Bottle Stomp , Skippy Whippy .
In the 1930s there was a thriving music scene in this neighbourhood with several nightclubs featuring live blues and jazz. The Mississippi Jook Band session that produced the four known Mississippi Jook Band recordings was held in this neighbourhood in 1936. Unfortunately, nothing remains of this once vibrant local neighbourhood music scene.
While we were checking out the Mississippi Blues Trail marker we were approached by several local residents who told us more about the history of the neighbourhood and suggested we check out some other local buildings, including the Eureka School and the Zion A.M.E. Church. Our thanks to these local residents for pointing these things out for us.
