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Title: A Sunday morning view of the African Episcopal Church of St. Thomas in Philadelphia._ Taken in June 1829
Description: Busy street scene showing elegantly-dressed African American parishioners of all ages entering the first African Episcopal church in the United States at the corner of Fifth and Adelphi (i.e. Saint James) streets. Includes a date stone in the eave of the church that reads "The African Church MDCCXCIII." Also shows a man leading a horse near the rear of the building. The church was established in 1794 by the religious and beneficent organization, the Free African Society, as a result of the discriminatory practices of the city’s congregations. Absalom Jones, a freed slave, became rector of the church in 1796 and remained as its minister until his death in 1818., Philadelphia on Stone, POS 729, Historical Society of Pennsylvania: Bb 862 B 756 #44, Free Library of Philadelphia: Castner 28:26, trimmed, staining.
Creator: Breton, William L., ca. 1773-1855, artist
Date: 1829
Location: Historical Society of Pennsylvania HSP Bb 862 B 756 #44

Title: [Lombard Street Central Presbyterian Church, Philadelphia]
Description: Exterior view of the Philadelphia African American church at 834 Lombard Street completed in 1848 after designs by Philadelphia architect, William L. Johnston. Shows the front entrance to the two-story building with pediment. In front of the building is a wrought iron fence and gate and a lamppost. In the foreground is the sidewalk and a partial view of the street. Established in 1844 under Rev. Stephen H. Gloucester, the church formed from dissenting members of the Second African Presbyterian Church following Gloucester's loss of that church's pulpit., Title supplied by cataloger., Date inferred from content., Gift of Mrs. S. Marguerite Brenner., Description revised 2021., Access points revised 2021., Part of digital collections catalog through a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services as administered by the Pennsylvania Department of Education through the Office of Commonwealth Libraries, and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Tom Corbett, Governor, 2013-2014.
Creator: Newell, Robert, 1822-1897, photographer
Date: [Philadelphia]
Location: Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department photo - Newell [P.9060.5b]

Title: A little rural scene in Frankford
Description: Exterior view showing a quaint area of the Frankford section of Philadelphia including Campbell African Methodist Episcopal Church on the 1600 block of Oxford Avenue (that is Kinsey Street). In the right, is a two-story, colonial-style home with shuttered windows situated behind a fence. In the left is the African American church, founded in 1804, with its door open. Several trees line the property. A fire hydrant is visible in the left foreground., Title from descriptive manuscript note by photographer on verso., Photographer's manuscript note on verso: One block away the Frankford El rumbles past - the trolleys clang, and general traffic rolls along., Gift of Margaret Odewalt Sweeney, 1979., Description revised 2022., Access points revised 2022., Part of digital collections catalog through a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services as administered by the Pennsylvania Department of Education through the Office of Commonwealth Libraries, and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Tom Corbett, Governor, 2013-2014.
Creator: Wilson, G. Mark (George Mark), 1879-1925, photographer
Date: [ca. 1923]
Location: Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department Wilson [P.8513.206], http://www.lcpimages.org/wilson/wilson206.htm

Title: A little rural scene in Frankford
Description: Exterior view showing a quaint area of the Frankford section of Philadelphia including Campbell African Methodist Episcopal Church on the 1600 block of Oxford Avenue (that is Kinsey Street). In the right, is a two-story, colonial-style home with shuttered windows situated behind a fence. In the left is the African American church, founded in 1804, with its door open. Several trees line the property. A fire hydrant is visible in the left foreground., Title from descriptive manuscript note by photographer on verso., Photographer's manuscript note on verso: One block away the Frankford El rumbles past - the trolleys clang, and general traffic rolls along., Gift of Margaret Odewalt Sweeney, 1979., Description revised 2022., Access points revised 2022., Part of digital collections catalog through a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services as administered by the Pennsylvania Department of Education through the Office of Commonwealth Libraries, and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Tom Corbett, Governor, 2013-2014.
Creator: Wilson, G. Mark (George Mark), 1879-1925, photographer
Date: [ca. 1923]
Location: Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department Wilson [P.8513.206], http://www.lcpimages.org/wilson/wilson206.htm

Title: Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church, Philada. [graphic] : Founded in 1794 by the Revd. Richard Allen, Bishop of the first African Methodist Episcopal Church in the United States. Rebuilt in 1805. / Drawn on Stone by W.L. Breton.
Description: Kennedy and Lucas, operated by David Kennedy and William B. Lucas, printed the city's first commercial lithographs, a series of church subjects drawn by W.L. Breton, probably including "Mother Bethel.", Exterior view of the rough cast second edifice of the African American church at 125 South 6th Street. Pedestrians and church attendees, predominately women, stroll the sidewalk and enter the house of worship adorned with a simple stone tablet inscribed, "Bethel Church." Known as "Mother Bethel," the church was formed from black congregants discriminated against by the Methodist Episcopal Church. The 1805 building, the site of the first convention of the Unified African Methodist Episcopal Church, stood until 1841 when a third building was erected on the site.
Creator: Breton, William L., artist., creator
Date: July 1829.
Location: http://www.lcpgraphics.org/wainwright/W026.htm, Library Company of Philadelphia Print Dept. W26 [7500.F]

Title: St. Thomas' (African) Church Southwest corner of Fifth and Adelphi Street. (Episcopal) The Revd. Absalom Jones, (colored) first Rector
Description: Exterior view of the first African Episcopal church in the United States at the corner of Fifth and Adelphi (i.e., Saint James) streets, in Philadelphia, Pa. Shows an oblique view of the two-story church designed with several windows, including lunette windows. A small wall, topped with a wrought iron fence, surrounds the property. Partial view of adjacent buildings in the left and right. The church was established in 1794 by the religious and beneficent organization, the Free African Society, as a result of the discriminatory practices of the city's congregations. Absalom Jones, a freed enslaved man, became rector of the church in 1796 and remained as its minister until his death in 1818., Title and photographer's imprint from Poulson inscription on mount., Date inscribed on photograph., Originally part of a series of eleven scrapbooks compiled by Philadelphia antiquarian Charles A. Poulson in the late 1850s entitled "Illustrations of Philadelphia" volume 3, page 151. The scrapbooks contained approximately 120 photographs by Philadelphia painter and pioneer photographer Richards of 18th-century public, commercial, and residential buildings in the city of Philadelphia commissioned by Poulson to document the vanishing architectural landscape., Reproduced in The Print and Photograph Department of the Library Company of Philadelphia's Center City Philadelphia in the 19th century (Portsmouth, N.H.: Arcadia Publishing, 2006), p. 41., Arcadia caption text: This simple church, photographed in May 1859, stood at the corner of Fifth and Saint James streets. Formed in response to the discriminatory practices of the city’s congregations, St. Thomas African Church was established in 1794 as the first African Episcopal church in the United States. An outgrowth of the religious and benevolent organization the Free African Society, established by Richard Allen and Absalom Jones, the church served as a religious pillar of the elite African American community during the 19th century. Jones, a freed slave, became rector in 1796., Description revised 2021., Access points revised 2021., Part of digital collections catalog through a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services as administered by the Pennsylvania Department of Education through the Office of Commonwealth Libraries, and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Tom Corbett, Governor, 2013-2014.
Creator: Richards, F. De B. (Frederick De Bourg), photographer
Date: May 1859
Location: Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department photo - Richards - Churches and Meetinghouses [(3)2526.F.151]

Title: St. Thomas' (African) Church Southwest corner of Fifth and Adelphi Street. (Episcopal) The Revd. Absalom Jones, (colored) first Rector
Description: Exterior view of the first African Episcopal church in the United States at the corner of Fifth and Adelphi (i.e., Saint James) streets, in Philadelphia, Pa. Shows an oblique view of the two-story church designed with several windows, including lunette windows. A small wall, topped with a wrought iron fence, surrounds the property. Partial view of adjacent buildings in the left and right. The church was established in 1794 by the religious and beneficent organization, the Free African Society, as a result of the discriminatory practices of the city's congregations. Absalom Jones, a freed enslaved man, became rector of the church in 1796 and remained as its minister until his death in 1818., Title and photographer's imprint from Poulson inscription on mount., Date inscribed on photograph., Originally part of a series of eleven scrapbooks compiled by Philadelphia antiquarian Charles A. Poulson in the late 1850s entitled "Illustrations of Philadelphia" volume 3, page 151. The scrapbooks contained approximately 120 photographs by Philadelphia painter and pioneer photographer Richards of 18th-century public, commercial, and residential buildings in the city of Philadelphia commissioned by Poulson to document the vanishing architectural landscape., Reproduced in The Print and Photograph Department of the Library Company of Philadelphia's Center City Philadelphia in the 19th century (Portsmouth, N.H.: Arcadia Publishing, 2006), p. 41., Arcadia caption text: This simple church, photographed in May 1859, stood at the corner of Fifth and Saint James streets. Formed in response to the discriminatory practices of the city’s congregations, St. Thomas African Church was established in 1794 as the first African Episcopal church in the United States. An outgrowth of the religious and benevolent organization the Free African Society, established by Richard Allen and Absalom Jones, the church served as a religious pillar of the elite African American community during the 19th century. Jones, a freed slave, became rector in 1796., Description revised 2021., Access points revised 2021., Part of digital collections catalog through a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services as administered by the Pennsylvania Department of Education through the Office of Commonwealth Libraries, and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Tom Corbett, Governor, 2013-2014.
Creator: Richards, F. De B. (Frederick De Bourg), photographer
Date: May 1859
Location: Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department photo - Richards - Churches and Meetinghouses [(3)2526.F.151]

Title: Eden Baptist Church Phila Rev. T.P. Wilson pastor
Description: Exterior view of the African American church on South Sartain Street, Philadelphia. Shows the front entrance to the brick building with shuttered windows. View includes portrait inset depicting the Rev. T.P. Wilson wearing a mustache and goatee and attired in a clerical collar and a jacket. Eden Baptist Church was founded in 1894., Title inscribed on negative., Date from manuscript note on verso., Purchase 2001., Description revised 2022., Access points revised 2022., Part of digital collections catalog through a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services as administered by the Pennsylvania Department of Education through the Office of the Commonwealth Libraries, and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Tom Corbett, Governor, 2013-2014.
Date: 1916
Location: Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department photo - unidentified - Religion [P.9981.8]

Title: Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church, Philada Founded in 1794 by the Revd. Richard Allen, Bishop of the first African Methodist Episcopal Church in the United States. Rebuilt in 1805
Description: Exterior view of the rough cast second edifice of the African American church at 125 South 6th Street. Pedestrians and church attendees, predominately women, stroll the sidewalk and enter the house of worship adorned with a simple stone tablet inscribed, "Bethel Church." Known as "Mother Bethel," the church was formed from African American congregants discriminated against by the Methodist Episcopal Church. The 1805 building, the site of the first convention of the Unified African Methodist Episcopal Church, stood until 1841 when a third building was erected on the site., Title from item., Kennedy and Lucas, operated by David Kennedy and William B. Lucas, printed the city's first commercial lithographs, a series of church subjects drawn by W.L. Breton, probably including "Mother Bethel.", Philadelphia on Stone, POS 39, Wainwright retrospective conversion project, edited., Description revised 2021., Accessioned 1965., Access points revised 2021.
Creator: Breton, William L., artist
Date: July 1829
Location: Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department W26 [7500.F]

Title: First old Presbyterian church. East side of Seventh Street. A few doors below Bainbridge formerly Shippen Street
Description: Depicts street scene with a view of the African American church built 1810-1811 under the auspices of the Evangelical Society of Philadelphia. Church stands between red brick townhouses containing the businesses of "Cheap John" and a lager beer hall. African American men and women walk the sidewalks and an African American man peddler sells his wares from his horse-drawn cart in the street. A partial view of the "No. 3 Navy Yard" street car is visible. The congregation, organized in 1807 to convert the city's African American residents to Christianity, formed under the leadership of former Tennessee enslaved man, and missionary and preacher John Gloucester., Title from item., Commissioned by Philadelphia antiquarian Ferdinand Dreer., Lib. Company. Annual report, 1975, p. 6-11., See LCP exhibition catalogue: Negro History #178 for variant copy in the collections of the Historical Society of Pennsylvania., Purchased 1975., Description revised 2021., Access points revised 2021., Part of digital collections catalog through a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services as administered by the Pennsylvania Department of Education through the Office of Commonwealth Libraries, and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Tom Corbett, Governor, 2013-2014.
Creator: Evans, B. R. (Benjamin Ridgway), active 1857-1891, artist
Date: 1884
Location: Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department Evans watercolors [P.2298.137], http://www.brynmawr.edu/iconog/evans/files/plc137.html

Title: Brown St. above 4th, north side three doors west of Fourth
Description: View of the Zoar Methodist Episcopal Church, the oldest African American congregation within the organized structure of United Methodism, founded in 1794. The church, with a for sale sign, stands between a livery stable and C.W. Kramer's light carriage and wagon factory. Pedestrians, including African Americans, stand on the sidewalk. Contains two boxes of text below and above the image inscribed: "Zoar M.E. Church, Founded 1791, Rebuilt 1838" and "This church propt. for sale. Lot 50 x 190. Apply to F. Snyder, N.W. Cor. 5th & Green." The church relocated to Melon Street, near Twelfth Street., Title from item., Commissioned by Philadelphia antiquarian Ferdinand Dreer., Lib. Company. Annual report, 1975, p. 6-11., Purchase 1975., Description revised 2021., Access points revised 2021., Part of digital collections catalog through a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services as administered by the Pennsylvania Department of Education through the Office of Commonwealth Libraries, and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Tom Corbett, Governor, 2013-2014.
Creator: Evans, B. R. (Benjamin Ridgway), 1834-1891, artist
Date: 1884
Location: Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department Evans watercolors [P.2298.138], http://www.brynmawr.edu/iconog/evans/files/plc138.html

Title: Diaries
Description: Three volumes of The standard diary (Philadelphia, 1890-1892), belonging to Sarah Sanders Venning Holden, each stamped in gold on front cover: The Real Estate Trust Co. 1340 Chestnut St. Philadelphia. Sallie Venning composed brief daily entries, noting her activities, social engagements, visitors, vacations, and substitute-teaching assignments. There are accounts, and names and addresses at the end of each volume., Sarah Sanders Venning, known as Sallie, was born in Philadelphia Aug. 12, 1872, daughter of Julia and Edward Y. Venning. She was a substitute teacher. She married William B. Holden in 1903 and was widowed in 1928. She was active in St. Thomas African Episcopal Church and in various women's clubs. She died in 1959.
Creator: Holden, Sarah Sanders Venning, 1872-1959
Date: 1890-1892
Location: Library Company of Philadelphia | Books & Other Texts MSS Steven-Cogdell-Sanders-Venning Collection Box 4, Folder 3.

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