St. Thomas' (African) Church.
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]
St. Thomas' (African) Church. [graphic] / Southwest corner of Fifth and Adelphi Street. The Revd. Absalom Jones,(colored) first Rector. Photograph by Richards.
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]