Monday, February 8, 2016

Celebrating African American History Month-Places


Mt. Frisby AME Church, located near Hopewell Furnace, at the former African-American community of Six Penny.
NPS photo.
"In 1856 the African-American community at Six Penny Creek established an African Methodist Episcopal Church on land owned by the Cole family [pictured below]. This church served as a station on the Underground Railroad and as the site of the oldest African-American cemetery in Berks County. 

Tombstones record the burial of many former Hopewell Furnace workers. The cemetery, carefully restored and maintained by the Cole family, serves as a silent reminder of the once thriving African-American community that helped fuel the iron industry in southern Berks County" This information is from the National Park Service site. Check it out for more information about African American history at Hopewell Furnace). 

Hopewell Furnace is located in Elverson, PA. It is open Wednesdays through Sundays from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. except during the summer season (late May through early October) when it is open daily from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.