Thanks to Pete Kennedy of Malvern Patch I know the identity of a ruin I like to photograph from the road on Bacton Hill Road in Frazer.
So sad.
It is an abandoned church that had historical importance to the area: Ebenezer AME Church. I hate when this happens, and it makes me think of a whole slew of at risk churches.
Historical Photo Location Revealed: Ebenezer AME Church
The church, now crumbling, is on Bacton Hill Road.
By Pete Kennedy Email the author September 27, 2012
Last week’s historical photo challenge didn’t offer much in the way of contextual clue, but one reader got it right.
JoAnn Richardson hit the nail on the head with this comment:
This is Ebenezer AME Church on Bacton Hill Road in Frazer, PA. There is a cemetary on the property as well.
That’s correct. The church was built circa 1835 and is still barely standing today.
Apparently the oldest grave stones in the cemetery date back to the 1830s. An Eagle Scout named Matthew Nehring had been working on uncovering the gravestones. (Have no idea if his project is finished.) According to the photos it appears some of the dead buried here are soldiers and veterans. One gravestone is for a Joshua Johnson (Pvt., Co. K, 45th Reg., United States Colored Troops (USCT) (Civil War). I find this to be incredibly historically significant as the army began to organize African Americans into regimental units known as the United States Colored Troops (USCT) in 1863.
According to the East Whiteland Historical Society (which I am not sure what they do because all I see are historic structures rotting in East Whiteland) this church used to serve as a “hub” of African American society in Frazer. So why isn’t any of it being protected?
The church was used through into the 20th century as per Patch and the information from East Whiteland, and now it is abandoned. So who owns the graveyard and the church? In Radnor, the Radnor Historical Society has been caring for the historically important and abandoned First Baptist Cemetery off Conestoga Road. They have gotten volunteers to help keep weeds in check and right upended grave stones. So why is it that East Whiteland always seems to be Johnny on the Spot for historical data yet all this stuff just rots?
I understand completely that you can’t save every old house or church, but wow, people including soldiers who fought and served are buried here. Show them some respect. Shame on East Whiteland for not trying to find avenues of preservation for this and other sites.
I think I am going to go back out there and photograph graves when the weather improves and the ground isn’t so soft from rain. But who owns the land? Is it truly abandoned?
As a member of the East Whiteland Township Historical Commission, I appreciate the writer’s interest and concern about the considerable historical resources in the Township , and the ongoing need for protection of structures such as the Ebenezer AME Church, a recent focus of beginning conservation planning. All of us shudder when we pass a formerly stately structure crying for help. To mount preservation efforts , it does require committment, time and often public advocacy and substantive funds to ensure that bricks and mortar are added to create stability of these structures as well as interest in publicizing our rich history. We are pleased that the Supervisors of the Township have supported the Historical Commission over the years, as well as past and recent efforts by the County of Chester and private societies to catalog all resources and provide new and excellent research into the Paoli Battlefield and Battle of the Clouds. The Township Historical Commission now has openings, and those in the community who feel strongly about historical preservation are welcome to come to a meeting, held the second Tuesday of each month, and see if they would be interested in contributing. Thank you,
Peter H. Spengeman, Member, EWTHC
So in other words you appreciate my concern, but stuff isn’t getting saved? What have you saved recently in East Whiteland?
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County records indicate that the lot is owned by the “African Methodist Episcopal Church”. Their online directory shows the Malvern AME Church on Channing Avenue as the only active location in Malvern. Perhaps you could contact the pastor there. Some of the family names on the gravestones are the same as families still living in Malvern Borough. I can’t blame the Township when the church and the families don’t seem to care.
Thanks AuntieRuth!
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