Last week, a meeting took place at Ohio University Southern, organized by community leaders to discuss the future of the Quinn Chapel AME building in Ironton.

The historic Black church ended services last year, due to low attendance and is being put up for sale.

The goal of the meeting was to gauge community interest and organize strategies to convert the building into a Black history museum for Lawrence County.

With its congregation dating to prior to the Civil War and its founding tied to Ironton’s founder, abolitionist John Campbell, the church, built in 1909 (the third building for the congregation), has a storied history.

Recently, Ashland saw the opening of the C.B. Nuckolls Community Center & Black History Museum, which has become a major draw for schools and others interested in learning about history.

With its ties to the Underground Railroad and lying on the border of what was once the division between free and slave states, Lawrence County has a wealth of history that should be explored, documented and made available to the public — and Quinn Chapel would be a fitting home for this.

We hope that support builds for the move and that the public works to see such a museum open here. We commend all involved in this projects and endorse the effort.