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Scenic Marion Co., KY: Banks Chapel AME Zion Church 2011-02-26 - Off KY 55 in Belltown Area of Marion Co., KY - Photo by Kenny Browning, The Feedman. Kenny Browning writes that he has taken several photos of this picturesque church. and was never satisfied with the results, until now. "Looks like this is as good as it gets for me," he writes. "Until being told by Benny Hayden last year that this at one time was a one room school for the black children of the Belltown area, I had never heard or found any reference to it in scouring the area for one room schools. Hidden in plain sight six miles from home !!" He continues, "Banks Chapel Church was started circa 1860-1865 in a log structure across the road from where the church now stands . It was used as a school through the week and as a church on Sunday. In 1878 the Methodist Episcopal Churches had become better organized and and a new church was built. ( also serving as a school during the week ). When the road was rebuilt in the early 1980s, the church was moved to its present site and repaired. On the first Saturday of each August a picnic is held to help support the church; this gathering has turned into a homecoming for former members of the church and their families." Seen in the ColumbiaMagazine group on Flickr. Permalink | Comments?

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