St. James African Methodist Episcopal Church was established in the 1890s and built their first home on West Fifth Street. John Caesar is thought to have been the first pastor. Other pastors were F. D. Hightower, J. W. Hall, A. R. Cooper, B. Gay, and J. E. Brown.

The church bought this lot on North Maple Street in 1922 and built the present structure around that time. C. W. Harris was pastor at the time.

Renovations were made in 2002, under the leadership of Reverend Jasper Drew.