National Park Service Opens Restored Thompson Memorial A.M.E. Zion Church in Auburn, New York, to Public

The National Park Service began a restoration of the Thompson Memorial African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church and its adjacent parsonage in Auburn, New York, in 2022. The work was carried out by contractors working closely with Harriet Tubman National Historical Park and the NPS Historic Architecture, Conservation, and Engineering directorate. The project had two stated purposes: to prevent further deterioration of building features dating to the period of significance for the property, which is Harriet Tubman’s lifetime, and to give the community and park visitors a way to form personal connections to Tubman and her legacy by experiencing the place where she worshipped, celebrated, and worked.

Interior work recorded in the NPS timelapse, which ran from April 29, 2022, to June 15, 2024, included plaster work, reproduction stenciling, preservation of historic stencils, painting, and reproduction light fixtures. Crews also stripped and refinished wainscoting, installed a historic altar rail, sanded and refinished the floors, and reinstalled the original glass globe pendant lights from the church.

Exterior work, documented in a timelapse from September 21, 2022, to June 15, 2024, included chimney reconstruction, replacement of windows on the parsonage, archaeological excavation, and installation of the church steeple. Crews also painted the church exterior, built a permanent porch on the parsonage, rehabilitated the landscape, and installed sidewalks, an accessible ramp on the church, and permanent doors. The NPS said the new historically accurate paint colors and a 13-foot spire, which once graced the church, returned the buildings to their earlier appearance. The agency described the buildings before the work as unassuming and run-down.

The NPS said that the church interior, as it appeared on June 21, 2024, showed repaired and repainted plaster and exhibits explaining the restoration process. The agency described the project as a labor of love and a tribute to Tubman’s enduring legacy in Auburn. Preserving the place where a congregation once worshipped for later visitors reflects a commitment to passing the faith on to the next generation (Psalm 78:4).

Beginning on June 22, 2024, the church and parsonage opened to the public for the first time as part of the National Park Service. The NPS said some work remains ongoing and will continue for years to come.

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