Niagara Church
Cellar Inscription:
I couldn't hear if nobody prayed way down yonder by myself, couldn't hear if nobody prayed.
Sam G.
ST. JOHN'S AME CHURCH:
917 Garden Avenue, Niagara Falls, New York
This church is not an actual underground railroad site, however, it was recognized for the rich historical legacy African-American churches have contributed in the Underground Railroad Movement. The African-American churches became a dominant and driving force in the abolitionist and underground movement, providing the funding for transportation and guides to allow many fugitives to achieve freedom to Canada. Located in the heart of the Niagara Falls African-American community, the stations sculpture stands underneath a majestic old tree faces north toward the site where the slaves once crossed the Suspension Bridge to freedom, (now the Whirlpool Bridge).
The African Methodist Episcopal Church has it roots in the Methodist Episcopal Church which was founded by John Wesley, an Anglican Priest. From the beginning of Methodism, African-American people were allowed membership without incident. Both slave owners and their slaves were encouraged to hear the message of salvation.
As membership grew, African-American population doubled. Uneasy with the developments, many whites began to turn back toward the old views of discrimination. They tried to force members to worship in the back of the church solely, causing member, Richard Allen to eventually break fully from the church to establish the African-American Methodist Church. After many years of struggle, Richard Allen became the first African-American Bishop in America.
Thereafter, the church flourished establishing churches all over the United States and Canada. (The Canadians are known as the British Methodist Episcopal Church. They chose this name to better gain acceptance in Canada.)
Major John Graves Simcoe had always condemned the institution of slavery as being, "both un-Christian and unconstitutional. From the beginning of his career in the House of Commons he openly expressed his discontent. When he became appointed as Lieutenant-Governor of Upper Canada, he vowed to make laws which would dissolve slavery altogether in Canada.
However, once he became more accustomed with his new post, he realized quickly that there was more at issue than the rights of African-Canadians. The slaves were considered to be a form of property: equivalent to livestock, farm equipment, and land. The slave owners were not interested in losing their investments, and would not compromise until they were allowed to retain their property.
The final legislation read that the slaves themselves could not be freed,
but their children and descendants could gain their freedom after the age
of twenty-five. The Act also limited the period of a voluntary service
contract to no more than nine years. Most importantly, further importation
of human chattel was banned as of July 9, 1793.
Saint John's AME Church, Membership Handbook and Church Calendar, 1997