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Resident recounts Mount Zion AME history during Kennesaw council public comment
Summary
At the Feb. 17 meeting a resident, Andrew Bennett, provided a historical overview of Mount Zion AME on Way Green Road, citing possible founding dates ranging from the 1830s to the 1860s, an 1915 newspaper account, and a school once run by the church.
Andrew Bennett addressed the Kennesaw City Council during public comment on Feb. 17 to describe the history of Mount Zion AME, which he said is located on Way Green Road near I‑75 and is one of the city’s oldest African American churches.
Bennett said there is conflicting information about the church’s founding. He reported that some accounts place the founding in the 1860s and attribute early organizing work to Bishop Henry McNeil Turner. Citing a 1987 oral history interview with a church member, Bennett said the congregation may date as far back as the 1830s. He also referenced a newspaper account dated Aug. 7, 1915, that mentioned a revival service led by Reverend A. L. Henderson.
Bennett said Mount Zion once operated a school building for local African American students — county‑operated but church‑owned — that served grades one through seven. He described the oldest existing sanctuary as built around 1910 and noted a newer building next door with a distinct roofline. Bennett said a small memorial to Bishop Turner stands outside the historic sanctuary.
Members of the public did not expand on the history during the meeting, and no formal council action followed the public comment. Bennett presented the remarks as a community history update rather than a request for council action.
