The church was founded in 1799. The building was consecrated in 1834 when the area was known as Small Gloucester, a community of black farmers who walked to worship. This is from Karen Heller's column in the Philadelphia Inquirer, 5/8/13, at B1, B8. Heller writes that the church became an important stop on the Underground Railroad's Greenwich Line operated by Harriet Tubman. Runaway slaves hid in the dank crawl space below a trapdoor in the vestibule. Its cemetery includes graves of freed slaves and members of the U.S. Colored Troops who fought in the Civil War, according to the article. The gist of the article, unfortunately, concerned a racial slur that appeared on the sign in front of the church, and so far, there are no suspects. Heller writes that the church is kept clean but is in need of repairs that are outside of its budget, and it is considered an endgangered historic site.
Publication date | Jun 24, 2018 |
Neighborhood |
The church was founded in 1799. The building was consecrated in 1834 when the area was known as Small Gloucester, a community of black farmers who walked to worship. This is from Karen Heller's column in the Philadelphia Inquirer, 5/8/13, at B1, B8. Heller writes that the church became an important stop on the Underground Railroad's Greenwich Line operated by Harriet Tubman. Runaway slaves hid in the dank crawl space below a trapdoor in the vestibule. Its cemetery includes graves of freed slaves and members of the U.S. Colored Troops who fought in the Civil War, according to the article. The gist of the article, unfortunately, concerned a racial slur that appeared on the sign in front of the church, and so far, there are no suspects. Heller writes that the church is kept clean but is in need of repairs that are outside of its budget, and it is considered an endgangered historic site.