Hosanna Meeting House
Church in Pennsylvania , United States
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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]
| Hosanna Meeting House | |
|---|---|
| |
 Interactive map of the Hosanna Meeting House area | |
| Alternative names | Hosanna African Union Methodist Protestant Church |
| Etymology | Biblical cry of praise |
| General information | |
| Type | Church |
| Location | 531 University Road, Lincoln University, Pennsylvania 19352, United States |
| Coordinates | 39.8112°N 75.9253°W |
| Completed | 1845 |
| Owner | Lincoln University |
| Design and construction | |
| Known for | Historic African American church and station on the Underground Railroad |
Architecture
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
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]