African American Historical Sites – Philadelphia Pa, Lawnside NJ, Princeville, NC
This is the last day of sharing on the weekends about my travels to various places and toured quite a few African American Historical sites.
The Mother Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church is an historic church and congregation which is located at 419 South 6th Street in Center City Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. The congregation, founded in 1794, is the oldest African Methodist Episcopal congregation in the nation.
Lawnside is a borough in Camden County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Lawnside was developed in 1840 and incorporated in 1926 as the first independent, self-governing Black municipality north of the Mason–Dixon line. When the blue law was still in effect, people from many surrounding cities would flock to Lawnside. The borough was known for nightclubs, restaurants (especially barbeque) and the motorcycle riders went there in droves. I was living in Camden at the time and going to Lawnside was IT back in the day.
My connection with both towns. I was able to travel to Princeville a few times. First - shortly after Hurricane Floyd destroyed it. Secondly- a friend and I traveled there while the town was being restored. Thirdly – Years later, another friend and I traveled to her home in Tarboro (next door to Princeville), and from there across the bridge to Princeville. I also am a resident of Lindenwold, NJ, ten minutes from Lawnside. Ever since Hurricane Floyd destroyed Princeville, I have called these two historic places sister towns.
Princeville
Princeville is a town in Edgecombe County, North Carolina, United States established by freed slaves after the Civil War. It was established in 1865 and known as Freedom Hill.[5] It was incorporated in 1885 as Princeville, the first independently governed African American community chartered in the United States.
When Hurricane Floyd devastated eastern North Carolina in 1999, perhaps no town felt her wrath so completely as the Edgecombe County town of Princeville.
Since I am concluding with an old “Negro” Spiritual “Get on Board” written by Paul Robeson, it would be an injustice not to include him as part of our history.
Paul Robeson was born in Princeton, New Jersey, Paul Leroy Robeson (/ˈroʊbsən/ ROHB-sən;[2][3] April 9, 1898 – January 23, 1976) was an American bass-baritone concert artist, stage and film actor, professional football player, and activist who became famous both for his cultural accomplishments and for his political stances
In 1915, Robeson won an academic scholarship to Rutgers College in New Brunswick, New Jersey, where he was the only African-American student.
Thanks for your readership and support; hope you enjoyed the ride!
~ Betty A. Burnett ~
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