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Hosanna Meeting House

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Coordinates: 39°48′40″N 75°55′31″W / 39.8112°N 75.9253°W / 39.8112; -75.9253
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Hosanna Meeting House
Map
Alternative namesHosanna African Union Methodist Protestant Church
EtymologyBiblical cry of praise
General information
TypeChurch
Address531 University Road
Town or cityLincoln University, Pennsylvania 19352
CountryUnited States
Coordinates39°48′40″N 75°55′31″W / 39.8112°N 75.9253°W / 39.8112; -75.9253
Completed1845
OwnerLincoln University
Known forHistoric African American church and station on the Underground Railroad

Hosanna Meeting House, also known as the Hosanna A.U.M.P. Church, is a historic African American church near Oxford, Pennsylvania, United States, on the present-day campus of Lincoln University. Organized in 1843 and constructed by 1845, the Hosanna Meeting House was a station on the Underground Railroad and a primary place of worship for members of the free Black community of Hinsonville.[1][2] A Pennsylvania state historical marker was placed at the church in 1992.[3] The church and cemetery were listed on the National Register of Historic Places on March 25, 2024.[4]

Architecture

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The church is a small, one-room, one-story chapel constructed of red brick with a plain exterior, a shingled gable roof, and wooden front steps up to a wraparound porch. A crawlspace beneath the floorboards once served as a hiding place for fugitive slaves.[5] A small historic cemetery adjacent to the church was established in 1854 as one of Chester County's first marked grave sites for Black decedents.[6] Along with other former congregants and veterans of various wars, seventeen African American veterans of the 54th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment are buried in the cemetery.[7][2]

History

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Organized in 1843 and built by 1845, Hosanna is the only surviving structure from the village of Hinsonville, a free Black community predating the Civil War. Affiliated with the A.U.M.P. Church, Hosanna was a station on the Underground Railroad and hosted Frederick Douglass, Harriet Tubman, Sojourner Truth, and other visitors.[1][2]

In recognition of Hosanna's significance to the free Black community, the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission placed a marker by Old U.S. Route 1 where the road passes the church, dedicating the marker on May 9, 1992.[3] Church and cemetery were listed on the National Register of Historic Places on March 25, 2024.[4]

As of 2015, Hosanna's congregation consisted of fewer than twenty people. The church has remained a place of worship for Lincoln University's students and staff.[6][2]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b Shultz, Elizabeth (March 26, 2014). "Hosanna Church: The Last Building in Hinsonville". Pennsylvania Historic Preservation Commission Blog. Retrieved November 1, 2022.
  2. ^ a b c d Weidener, Susan (May 14, 1992). "Plaque for a Church that Sheltered Slaves". The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. 261. Retrieved November 6, 2022.
  3. ^ a b Beyer, George R. (2000). Guide to the State Historical Markers of Pennsylvania. Harrisburg: Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission. p. 105. ISBN 978-0-89271-092-8.
  4. ^ a b "Just Listed! January through June 2024". Pennsylvania Historic Preservation: Blog of the Pennsylvania State Historic Preservation Office. July 10, 2024. Retrieved September 20, 2024.
  5. ^ Williams, Khalil (September 18, 2015). "Historic Hosanna church in Chesco to be honored with a bench". Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved November 1, 2022.
  6. ^ a b Nielsen, Euell A. (November 2, 2015). "Hosanna African Union Methodist Protestant Church (1843– )". BlackPast.org. Retrieved October 31, 2022.
  7. ^ "Briefly Noted – Marker Dedication". The News Journal. May 7, 1992. p. 86. Retrieved November 6, 2022.
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