Historic Rayburn Chapel AME Church, Cowan, Tennessee

Cowan Ministerial Association is a co-founder of the Rayburn Chapel Preservation Society, an organization dedicated to the preservation, maintenance, and continuing mission of one of Cowan's oldest churches.

The congregation at Rayburn Chapel has roots as far back as 1837 when a Methodist Circuit Rider, a Reverend Cummins, came into the area.  Rev. Cummins brought the gospel to the Cherokee Indians living primarily at the foot of Sewanee Mountain and his daughters married into a Cherokee family.  When the Trail of Tears took place, the Cherokee Methodist congregation founded by Rev. Cummins was turned over to the black families living on the Hawkins, Holder and Miller family plantations.

The black families maintained the Methodist congregation for several decades.  As Cowan became more and more industrialized, several black families moved from their homes in the farmlands and built Cowan's first black neighborhood.  In the Year 1889, Col. Wiley Rayburn, a bishop in the African Methodist Episcopal Church, came to Cowan and acquired an acre of land on Boiling Fork Creek and the Methodist families built a permanent church home.  The church was named Rayburn Chapel to honor the founding bishop.

The original location of the church was subject to flooding in heavy rains, so the church bulding was moved about 200 feet north to a higher plot of land in 1906 where it remains today.  Rayburn Chapel was an integral part of Cowan's black community until the 1980's decade when the town entered a period of economic decline.  As jobs were lost, younger families had to relocate.  Rayburn Chapel lost the majority of its membership and was disbanded in 1993.  The building was left empty and abandoned for 16 years until members of the community pulled together a preservation effort.  With the full support and cooperation from officials in the African Methodist Episcopal Church, Rayburn Chapel is undergoing repairs.

Our goal is to one day see this historic church property fulfill its original purpose again.  We welcome the support of any individuals or organizations.  Please send an e-mail post to visitcowan@yahoo.com if you would like to help.