Located in "the Junction" neighborhood of Mooresville, Watkins Chapel AME Zion church is a congregation established during a period of explosive growth of the AME Zion denomination in the South, particularly in North Carolina. Though aided by strategic employment of clergy resources, the growth is a more a testament to the response of emancipated African Americans—an expression not only of faith, but of freedom from the strictures and hypocrisy of white-dominated churches. Architecturally, the Romanesque Revival-style building exemplifies several trends in early twentieth-century African American churches-the presence of the two crenellated towers on a simple front-gabled form, the tradition of rebuilding or cladding frame structures with brick as resources allowed, and a plan adapted for services focused on music and preaching.
Hanbury Preservation Consulting prepared the National Register nomination for the church. It was listed in April 2022. The nomination can be found here.