Sharon Assembly Church (formerly Disney Chapel and the Rose of Sharon Assembly) held its first service on November 3rd, 1877. Originally established as an African Methodist Episcopal (AME) church it was built by architect Robert P. Kelley and named after its founder Rev. Richard Disney, an AME Bishop minister from the USA.
Sharon Assembly Church was attended by members of the Black Community, who have resided in Yarmouth since before the abolition of slavery in the British Empire (1834).
They first arrived in the area as enslaved, indentured, and free individuals. Following the abolition of slavery, racial segregation divided communities by skin color; included churches. It’s thought that racial segregation motivated the community to find their own church, the Disney Chapel. For 148 years the church has served as a meeting place and spiritual center for the Community.
