Hosanna Meeting House, African American church near Oxford, Pennsylvania.
Hosanna Meeting House is a red brick chapel in Pennsylvania with a single worship room, a shingled gable roof, and wooden front steps leading to a wraparound porch. The structure retains the simple design characteristic of African American gathering places from the 19th century.
Built in 1845, this structure served as an Underground Railroad station with a hidden crawlspace beneath the floorboards for sheltering fugitives. It remains the last standing building from the pre-Civil War African American community of Hinsonville.
The cemetery adjacent to the meetinghouse was established in 1854 and holds graves of African American soldiers from the 54th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment. These burial grounds reflect the deep ties between this community and the struggle for freedom and equality.
The site operates near Lincoln University and remains an active place of worship for a small congregation. It is best to inquire about visiting times in advance to respect ongoing religious services and community activities.
Notably, prominent abolitionists Frederick Douglass, Harriet Tubman, and Sojourner Truth visited this location during their lifetimes. These historical visits connect the modest building directly to some of the most influential figures of the freedom movement.
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