Hosanna Meeting House
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]
| Hosanna Meeting House | |
|---|---|
| Alternative names | Hosanna African Union Methodist Protestant Church |
| Etymology | Biblical cry of praise |
| General information | |
| Type | Church |
| Address | 531 University Road |
| Town or city | Lincoln University, Pennsylvania 19352 |
| Country | United States |
| Coordinates | 39.8112°N 75.9253°W |
| Completed | 1845 |
| Owner | Lincoln University |
| Known for | Historic African American church and station on the Underground Railroad |
Architecture
The Hosanna Meeting House 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 hidden crawlspace beneath the floorboards once served as a hiding place for fugitive slaves.[4] 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.[5] 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.[6][2]
History
Organized in 1843 and built by 1845, the Hosanna Meeting House is the last remaining structure from the village of Hinsonville, a free Black community formed prior to the American 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] To honor Hosanna's significance to the free Black community, the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission placed a marker by Old U.S. Route 1 (Baltimore Pike) where the roadway passes the meeting house, dedicating the marker on May 9, 1992.[3]
As of 2015, the congregation consisted of fewer than twenty people. The church has remained a place of worship for Lincoln University's students and staff.[5][2]
References
- Shultz, Elizabeth (March 26, 2014). "Hosanna Church: The Last Building in Hinsonville". Pennsylvania Historic Preservation Commission Blog. Retrieved November 1, 2022.
- Weidener, Susan (May 14, 1992). "Plaque for a Church that Sheltered Slaves". The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. 261. Retrieved November 6, 2022.
- 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.
- Williams, Khalil (September 18, 2015). "Historic Hosanna church in Chesco to be honored with a bench". Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved November 1, 2022.
- Nielsen, Euell A. (November 2, 2015). "Hosanna African Union Methodist Protestant Church (1843– )". BlackPast.org. Retrieved October 31, 2022.
- "Briefly Noted – Marker Dedication". The News Journal. May 7, 1992. p. 86. Retrieved November 6, 2022.