| Baptist Church in the Great Valley | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Location | 945 North Valley Forge Road Devon, Pennsylvania 19333 |
| Country | United States |
| Denomination | Baptist |
| Website | bcgv.org |
| History | |
| Founded | 1711 |
| Architecture | |
| Completed | 1805 |
| Clergy | |
| Pastor(s) | David L. Cushman |
The Baptist Church in the Great Valley is a historic American Baptist church in Devon, Tredyffrin Township, Pennsylvania. [1]
Description and history
Invited to settle there by William Penn, sixteen Welsh Baptists and their families founded the congregation on April 22, 1711. Preceded by a smaller log meetinghouse built in 1722, the current stone church building was erected in 1805. It is the third oldest Baptist church in Pennsylvania. A Pennsylvania state historical marker was placed at the location in 1951. [1] [2] [3]
The church figured in the region's involvement in the American Revolutionary War. Like most of his parishioners, Reverend David Jones was an ardent Patriot and served as a Continental Army chaplain. British troops under General William Howe plundered the church and parsonage in September 1776, carrying off clothing, dishware, tools, and a Bible. [2] [4] [5]
Its first congregant of color, Harry Coats, joined the church in 1762. A schism occurred in 1841, when following the resignation of abolitionist pastor Leonard Fletcher in 1840, a group of antislavery parishioners withdrew to form their own congregation in nearby Radnor. [1] In 1820, women received the right to vote on "all questions that may arise in the church." [4]
See also
References
- ^ a b c "Baptist Church in the Great Valley". Baptist Church in the Great Valley. Retrieved 2022-06-24.
- ^ a b Jones, Horatio Gates (January 1884). "The Baptist Church in the Great Valley, Tredyffrin Township, Chester County, PA". The Cambrian: A Magazine for the Welsh in America. 4 (1): 8–14. hdl: 2027/uiug.30112079507031 – via HathiTrust.
- ^ Twiss, Harold L. (December 2003). "A Colonial Congregation: The Baptist Church in the Great Valley". American Baptist Quarterly. 22 – via ATLA.
- ^ a b Whitehead, William M. (January 1996). "Historical Sketch of the Baptist Church at Great Valley". Tredyffrin Easttown History Quarterly. 34 (1): 29–40.
- ^ Truett, George Rogers (1976). A Biography of David Jones, 1736-1820: His Religious, Military, and Community Life (PhD diss.). University of Colorado at Boulder – via ProQuest Dissertations and Theses.