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Long Island Home-Turned-Museum And Nearby Church Recommended For Registers of Historic Places

The Mary E. Bell House in Center Moriches and a nearby church, both owned and built by an African American family during the 1800's, were recommended by the state Board for Historic Review for the New York and National Registers of Historic Places. 

The Mary E. Bell House

The Mary E. Bell House

Photo Credit: Google Maps street view

The sites are two of 18 recommended by the organization to potentially add to the 120,000 on the National register. 

The two-story home on 66 Railroad Avenue was reportedly used as a site of worship for freed slave Abraham Perdue and his neighbors and friends, according to the town's Ketcham Inn Foundation. 

Perceiving a need for spiritual growth amongst his community, Perdue purchased land close by on Railroad Avenue, on which he built a church. 

After Perdue's death, the church became affiliated with the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Conference through the Varick Society of Christian Endeavor, with namesake Mary E. Bell as its pastor--Bell lived in the home of the late Perdue. 

After Bell died in 1920, the church was named the Bell African Methodist Episcopalian Zion Church. 

After the home fell out of family ownership in the 1990's, it was slated for demolition before the Town of Brookhaven took ownership of the property. 

"The nominations highlight the broad diversity of our state, its people, and their stories," said Commissioner of the Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation Erik Kulleseid. "This recognition helps support ongoing efforts made by many people over the years to protect and appreciate New York's fascinating history."

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