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Little Jerusalem AME Church

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Coordinates: 40°05′57″N 74°55′25″W / 40.09917°N 74.92361°W / 40.09917; -74.92361
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Little Jerusalem AME Church
Little Jerusalem AME Church, April 2012
Little Jerusalem AME Church is located in Pennsylvania
Little Jerusalem AME Church
Little Jerusalem AME Church is located in the United States
Little Jerusalem AME Church
Location1200 Bridgewater Rd., Cornwells Heights, Pennsylvania
Coordinates40°05′57″N 74°55′25″W / 40.09917°N 74.92361°W / 40.09917; -74.92361
Area0.5 acres (0.20 ha)
Built1830
NRHP reference No.80003429[1]
Added to NRHPDecember 03, 1980

Little Jerusalem AME Church, also known as Bensalem AME Church, is a historic African Methodist Episcopal church located at 1200 Bridgewater Road in Cornwells Heights, Bensalem Township, Bucks County, Pennsylvania. It was built in 1830 and renovated about 1860 and 1896. It is a 1+1⁄2-story, one-room frame structure with a gable roof. The cemetery surrounding the church contains burials of black Civil War soldiers.[2]

It is one of the oldest African American churches, having been established about 1820 by Rev. James Miller under the supervision of Richard Allen (1760–1831), founder of the AME Church.[3] The pulpit of the church was built by Allen. The church served as a shelter in the Underground Railroad, helping those fleeing slavery.[4] It was the only traditionally African-American church in Bensalem Township from 1830 until 1930. Under the pastorate of Reverend John Butler, a sabbath school was established in 1848 to teach local African Americans to read and write.[2]

The site was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.[1]

References

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  1. ^ a b "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
  2. ^ a b Savage, Beth L. (1994). African American Historic Places. New York: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. pp. 409–410. ISBN 0-471-14345-6. Retrieved 8 May 2020.
  3. ^ "National Historic Landmarks & National Register of Historic Places in Pennsylvania". CRGIS: Cultural Resources Geographic Information System. Archived from the original (Searchable database) on 2007-07-21. Retrieved 2012-10-29. Note: This includes Rev. Jeane B. Williams (n.d.). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory Nomination Form: Little Jerusalem AME Church" (PDF). Retrieved 2012-10-29.
  4. ^ Quann, Peg. "Bensalem AME Church to honor founder Richard Allen". www.buckscountycouriertimes.com. Bucks County Courier Times. Retrieved 8 May 2020.
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