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Encountering a man they called "James Turner," they "locked him up as a fugitive," a shocking act to many across
Pennsylvania because this was "the first arrest of this kind in the memory of local residents." In response, a trial was held during which one of the church's founders, Jacob Ross, informed the judicial officer overseeing the case, Judge Banks, that the slave catchers had, in reality, imprisoned a free man — Harry Jones, a member of the Bethel A.M.E. congregation who had been living in Reading, Pennsylvania for roughly six years, and who had just recently married his wife during ceremonies at Bethel. "Judge Banks, in a lengthy decision, explained that the slavery law of Maryland had not been offered into evidence, and he had no judicial knowledge of such legislation: 'Therefore there could be no legal proof that Turner or Jones owed service or labor to Cooley' (his alleged Maryland owner)," and Jones was freed. Reading, was also home to a local
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The most famous slavery case to take place in Berks County, according to historian
Barbara Goda, occurred in February 1840 when a group of slave catchers traveled to the county from Maryland, and began "wandering about town for several days and examining all of the African Americans they could find."
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The only AME church in Berks County to have been built using private resources from its congregation, Bethel AME was founded by George Dillen, Samuel Murray, Isaac Parker, and Jacob Ross. Of those four, Murray was the one most involved with the building's construction. Closely aligned with
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and
Scarlett's Mill, as well as members of religious institutions throughout the region, who provided safe havens for the men, women and children who were escaping from slavery before and during the
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building with a gable roof. It was rebuilt about 1867–1869, and remodeled in 1889. It features a three-storey brick tower with a pyramidal roof topped by a
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315:. The Bethel A.M.E. Church and Washington Presbyterian Church were two of the institutions which served as way stations along the Underground Railroad.
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Among the earliest abolitionists in Berks County were the owners of
Fleetwood's Kirbyville Inn, Robeson Township's Joanna Furnace,
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noted in the anti-slavery movement, owning a nearby cabin on a railroad station and setting up housing for newly freed slaves.
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467:." Buffalo, New York: WNED-TV Buffalo/Toronto (PBS) and 90th Parallel Productions Ltd., retrieved online February 23, 2019.
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284:. The church is now home to a museum dedicated to the history of African Americans in Central Pennsylvania.
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435:"National Register of Historic Places Inventory Nomination Form: Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church"
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558:"History: Local: Village of Lima, Middletown Twp, Chester (now Delaware) Co, PA"
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Goda, "African-American Women in Berks County’s
History," Berks History Center.
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National Park
Service: Aboard the Underground Railroad, Bethel A.M.E. Church
484:, Winter 2004-2005. Reading, Pennsylvania: Berks History Center, 2004-2005.
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Churches on the
National Register of Historic Places in Pennsylvania
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History center talk on
Underground Railroad has Pennsylvania angle
386:. Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Commission. Archived from
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268:. It was originally built in 1837, and is a 2½-storey brick and
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National
Register of Historic Places in Reading, Pennsylvania
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Harriet Tubman
Underground Railroad National Historical Park
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African Methodist Episcopal churches in Pennsylvania
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Central Pennsylvania African American Museum website
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1058:Niagara Falls Underground Railroad Heritage Center
1202:Buildings and structures in Reading, Pennsylvania
1069:The Railroad to Freedom: A Story of the Civil War
456:"Bethel A.M.E. Zion Church," in "Locations," in "
817:British Methodist Episcopal Church, Salem Chapel
478:African-American Women in Berks County’s History
1046:Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad State Park
528:"Historical Sites, Mortonson-Schorn Log Cabin"
295:Reading's Bethel AME Church was listed on the
27:Historic church in Pennsylvania, United States
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458:Underground Railroad: The William Still Story
8:
1028:National Underground Railroad Freedom Center
251:Central Pennsylvania African American Museum
18:Bethel A.M.E. Church (Reading, Pennsylvania)
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49:U.S. National Register of Historic Places
1177:African-American history of Pennsylvania
1172:African-American museums in Pennsylvania
912:Ann Maria Jackson and her seven children
1227:19th-century Episcopal church buildings
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280:and the congregation was active in the
1207:Churches in Berks County, Pennsylvania
887:Dred: A Tale of the Great Dismal Swamp
356:"National Register Information System"
350:
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276:. The church is known to have housed
32:
482:The Historical Review of Berks County
7:
1222:Underground Railroad in Pennsylvania
1182:Churches on the Underground Railroad
361:National Register of Historic Places
297:National Register of Historic Places
59:Pennsylvania state historical marker
1063:Underground Railroad Bicycle Route
854:The South Bend Fugitive Slave Case
795:List of Underground Railroad sites
333:List of Underground Railroad sites
25:
1101:Freedom: The Underground Railroad
1004:Songs of the Underground Railroad
935:Abolitionism in the United States
1212:Museums in Reading, Pennsylvania
1010:The Underground Railroad Records
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120:
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95:
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812:Underground Railroad in Indiana
212:
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532:Gloucester County, New Jersey
129:Show map of the United States
77:Bethel AME Church, April 2011
1148:Slavery in the United States
984:Reverse Underground Railroad
848:Kentucky raid in Cass County
260:at 119 North 10th Street in
30:United States historic place
433:Richard G. Johnson (n.d.).
255:African Methodist Episcopal
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1192:Churches completed in 1837
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950:African-American opponents
833:Emeline and Samuel Hawkins
504:." Reading, Pennsylvania:
384:Historical Marker Database
266:Berks County, Pennsylvania
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900:Oberlin–Wellington Rescue
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380:"PHMC Historical Markers"
211:NRHP reference
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1133:The Underground Railroad
290:Mother Bethel AME Church
198:1837, c. 1867-1869, 1889
104:Show map of Pennsylvania
1034:Harriet Tubman Memorial
1093:The Quest for Freedom
758:Charles Turner Torrey
753:Harriet Beecher Stowe
718:Harriet Forten Purvis
417:(Searchable database)
366:National Park Service
190:9 acres (3.6 ha)
171:40.33750°N 75.91806°W
144:Reading, Pennsylvania
1077:A Woman Called Moses
945:opponents of slavery
918:Thirteenth Amendment
880:Joshua Glover rescue
693:Laura Smith Haviland
622:Underground Railroad
508:, February 10, 2018.
303:Underground Railroad
282:Underground Railroad
237:Designated PHMC
1085:Roots of Resistance
967:Fugitive slave laws
713:William Cooper Nell
390:on December 7, 2013
249:, now known as the
176:40.33750; -75.91806
167: /
1088:(1989 documentary)
748:Calvin Ellis Stowe
668:Frederick Douglass
663:Richard Dillingham
500:2019-02-28 at the
493:Nojiri, Matthew. "
476:Goda, Barbara R. "
463:2019-02-28 at the
313:American Civil War
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1152:Slavery in Canada
1136:(2021 miniseries)
1104:(2013 board game)
1080:(1978 miniseries)
873:Uncle Tom's Cabin
368:. March 13, 2009.
247:Bethel AME Church
244:
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232:September 7, 1979
224:Significant dates
41:Bethel AME Church
16:(Redirected from
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506:Reading Eagle
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955:publications
940:Abolitionism
906:Tilly Escape
885:
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866:Jerry Rescue
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738:Gerrit Smith
698:David Hudson
561:. Retrieved
551:
540:. Retrieved
536:the original
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392:. Retrieved
388:the original
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240:May 11, 1996
1128:(2019 film)
1117:Underground
1112:(2016 film)
1096:(1992 film)
1072:(1932 book)
1013:(1872 book)
992:lawn jockey
894:Dover Eight
890:(1856 book)
876:(1852 book)
728:John Rankin
708:Peg Leg Joe
658:Levi Coffin
174: /
150:Coordinates
1166:Categories
1146:See also:
648:Owen Brown
643:John Brown
563:2024-06-27
542:2020-02-24
443:2012-09-08
423:2012-09-08
339:References
159:40°20′15″N
299:in 1979.
203:Architect
162:75°55′5″W
1036:(Boston)
988:Signals
842:incident
805:churches
498:Archived
461:Archived
327:See also
321:Van Leer
218:79002167
139:Location
1125:Harriet
1021:Related
262:Reading
979:Quilts
928:Topics
920:(1865)
914:(1859)
908:(1856)
902:(1858)
896:(1857)
882:(1854)
868:(1851)
862:(1851)
856:(1849)
850:(1847)
844:(1848)
826:Events
800:houses
787:Places
630:People
480:," in
274:finial
270:stucco
258:church
840:Pearl
438:(PDF)
429:Note:
195:Built
1150:and
972:1850
396:2013
187:Area
213:No.
1168::
530:.
382:.
364:.
358:.
347:^
264:,
614:e
607:t
600:v
566:.
545:.
446:.
426:.
398:.
20:)
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