This week’s 2025 Community Initiative Award winner spotlight is on the First Cambria African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Zion Church congregation in the City of Johnstown, Cambria County.

We covered a bit about the church and their activities in our May 6th post announcing First Cambria as one of the three 2025 winners. Check it out here if you need a refresher.

For this post, I asked Barbara Zaborowski, a volunteer working with the congregation, to tell our readers a bit more about this story.

Can you tell us a little bit about First Cambria AME Zion Church and why it is important to the local community?

First Cambria AME Zion Church is the oldest Black church in Cambria County.

Large brick building with stained glass windows and center tower.

First Cambria AME Zion Church, Johnstown, Cambria County.

Its history is filled with the congregation being involved in historically significant social events both on the local and national level, including several Johnstown floods, the Rosedale Incident in 1923, and the Perkins Shooting in 1969. It was also instrumental in establishing the Johnstown branch of the NAACP in 1917.

Historic photo of church.

First Cambria AME Church, Image Published in the Star of Zion, November 11, 1920.

To learn more about the history of the church, read the National Register of Historic Places nomination using SearchLite.

2025 was a year of accomplishments for First Cambria with the National Register listing and the awarding of a Keystone Historic Preservation planning grant. What spurred the congregation’s interest in historic preservation?

As membership in the congregation is aging, the members want the history of the church and the preservation of the building saved for future generations. Members are aware of the church’s history and feel that it is integral to the history of the Black community in Johnstown.

Group of men and women stand outside a brick building.

The Silvertone Chorus is one of the many groups hosted by First Cambria in Johnstown. Source: African
American Heritage Society, Pennsylvania Highlands Community College, POWER Library.

In reviewing the Success Story materials and the National Register nomination, I noted the congregation’s relationship with Pennsylvania Highlands Community College. Can you talk a bit about that relationship and how it started?

The library at Pennsylvania Highlands Community College is actively collecting and digitizing the history of Cambria County through its Cambria Memory Project. When collecting information on the Black community in Cambria County the history of the church was uncovered. The college felt this history was worthy of preservation and agreed to serve in a leadership role throughout the National Register process and subsequent grant requests.

National Register celebration program, June 2025.

We know there are many congregations like First Cambria across the Commonwealth that are working to preserve their history and religious spaces. What advice can you give to others in a similar situation?

Depending on the congregation’s activity level, it may be necessary to reach out and identify other partners who can assist in locating appropriate agencies who can help with the preservation. There are resources at the county and state level that can provide advice on how to proceed and the programs that are available which can help with the preservation efforts.

Three people standing inside a building around a metal plaque.

Barb Zaborowski/Penn Highlands Community College (left), Rev. Sharon Johnson/First Cambria AME Church (center), and Tom Chernisky/Cambria County Commissioner (right) at the National Register ceremony in June 2025.

What’s next for First Cambria AME Zion in terms of historic preservation work?

The church recently received a Keystone Grant with a match from the Community Foundation for the Alleghenies. The resulting architectural report will enable the church to prioritize restoration and accessibility issues which could increase participation from the community.

Entrance and signage on a red brick building.

First Cambria proudly displays its National Register plaque and Keystone Grant sign. Source: Barbara Zaborowski.

Are there other organizations, people, or companies you’d like to acknowledge for their contributions to this project and its success?

While going through the National Register process, the feedback received from the PA State Historic Preservation Office on how to position the church for future success was invaluable. It was the PA SHPO National Register reviewers who explained that an architectural study would be important for identifying ways in which to improve the church.

Also, the Pennsylvania Highlands Community College Foundation served as the fiscal agent for the PA Keystone Grant and Community Foundation for the Alleghenies grant making it possible to apply for both.

 

Comment Policy

PHMC welcomes and encourages topic-related comments on this blog.  PHMC reserves the right to remove comments that in PHMC’s discretion do not follow participation guidelines.

Commenters and Comments shall be related to the blog post topic and respectful of others who use this site.

Commenters and Comments shall not: use language that is offensive, inflammatory or provocative (this includes, but is not limited to, using profanity, obscene, or vulgar comments); disparage other commenters or people; condone illegal activity; identify the location of known or suspected archeological sites; post personal information in comments such as addresses, phone numbers, e-mail addresses or other contact details, which may relate to you or other individuals;  impersonate or falsely claim to represent a person or an organization; make any commercial endorsement or promotion of any product, service or publication.

If you would like to comment on other topics not related to this blog post but related to PHMC, please fill out the PHMC Contact Us Form.