Phillips Chapel CME Church
In 1911, the Las Cruces African American community constructed Phillips Chapel Christian Methodist Episcopal (CME) Church. The adobe church has provided a place for worship and functioned as a community center since then. When the New Mexico legislature passed segregation laws in the 1920s the church also doubled as a school for African American children.
African American populations initially migrated to New Mexico after the Civil War to homestead and seek economic opportunities outside of the South. Some African American troops known as “Buffalo Soldiers” who patrolled the western territories were stationed at Fort Selden, located about 20 miles north of Las Cruces. By the turn of the century, industries such as the Santa Fe Railroad offered employment opportunities. As the African American population in Las Cruces increased, they established businesses and continued to work in the service and agricultural trades. Phillips Chapel continuously offered a cultural center.
Today, a small congregation continues to worship at the church. Recently, the structure underwent intensive adobe restoration through the combined efforts of New Mexico State University, Dona Ana Community College, and the Las Cruces community. The church is listed on the New Mexico State Register of Cultural Properties and the National Register of Historic Places.
Narrative and photographs by Danielle Archuleta, New Mexico State University.
