Reaves Chapel

Historic Reaves Chapel A.M.E. Church is one of the Cape Fear region’s most culturally and historically significant African American structures. The Chapel is a simple, classical wood frame church with colored glass windows, and it is one of the oldest African American buildings in southeastern North Carolina. People who were formerly enslaved built Reaves Chapel on the bluffs of the Cape Fear River shortly before or just after the Civil War.  Around 1911 it was moved inland by the congregation, using logs and a team of oxen to its current location.  The land where they placed the chapel was owned by Edward Reaves, a man formerly enslaved at the Cedar Hill Plantation, and for whom the Chapel was named.

Many of Navassa residents’ ancestors were Gullah Geechee peoples of coastal Africa, who were forcibly brought to the coastal United States because of their experience in rice cultivation. Rice plantations once lined the western banks of the Cape Fear River, and despite the many contributions of the Gullah Geechee peoples to this region of the state, there are surprisingly few surviving structures from the Civil War and post-Civil War period that preserve their vital cultural heritage. Reaves Chapel is one of the last remaining buildings from that era still standing.

Reaves Chapel and its small cemetery served an African Methodist Episcopal congregation until the late 1990’s. Although the small Chapel has suffered the prolonged effects of weather damage and is not currently inhabitable, it is still cherished by the community. Reaves Chapel was purchased by the Coastal Land Trust in March of 2019 with funding provided by The Moore Charitable Foundation’s the Orton Foundation and the Historic Wilmington Foundation.  In partnership with the Cedar Hill/West Bank Heritage Foundation, the building is being restored and once again the bell will ring out to gather the community at the chapel to celebrate community, service, faith and history.

Over the past 3 years, the bell tower was removed, the building was lifted, the foundation was rebuilt, walls opened, new structural components were added, and rotting siding and flooring were replaced. The roof was restored and the adjacent cemetery was cleaned. The bell tower has been restored and placed back atop the Chapel, as have the stained-glass windows on either side and above the door along with protective plexiglass panels.

Help complete the final phase! Make a donation ONLINE HERE.

What’s in the final phase? Launched in September 2024, the final phase includes completion of the building’s interior, construction of an external restroom facility, installation of a pervious driveway and parking spaces, and thoughtful landscaping. The landscaping plan features native plants and the cherished lilies that have been nurtured in a greenhouse since the project began in 2019. The Coastal Land Trust is still fundraising for this project to get it across the finish line.

Read more about the Reaves Chapel Project on our News and Stories page