Built on land donated by Mary Otis Willcox (image below), a noted philanthropist, the Shiloh AME Zion Church became a central part of the African American community on Staten Island's North Shore. Community leader William A. Morris Sr. helped to build the church.
Other members of the congregation included Drusilla Poole, her husband Archie, and Nettie Carter Jackson. Many other prominent members of Staten Island's African American community also attend or attended the Shiloh church.