| Baptist Church in the Great Valley | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Location | 945 North Valley Forge Road Devon, Pennsylvania 19333 |
| Country | United States |
| Denomination | Baptist |
| Website | bcgv.org |
| History | |
| Founded | 1711 |
| Architecture | |
| Completed | 1805 |
| Clergy | |
| Pastor(s) | David L. Cushman |
The Baptist Church in the Great Valley is a historic American Baptist church in Devon, Tredyffrin Township, Pennsylvania. [1]
Invited to settle there by William Penn, sixteen Welsh Baptists and their families founded the congregation on April 22, 1711. Preceded by a smaller log meetinghouse built in 1722, the current stone church building was erected in 1805. It is the third oldest Baptist church in Pennsylvania. A Pennsylvania state historical marker was placed at the location in 1951. [1] [2] [3]
The church figured in the region's involvement in the American Revolutionary War. Like most of his parishioners, Reverend David Jones was an ardent Patriot and served as a Continental Army chaplain. British troops under General William Howe plundered the church and parsonage in September 1776, carrying off clothing, dishware, tools, and a Bible. [2] [4] [5]
Its first congregant of color, Harry Coats, joined the church in 1762. A schism occurred in 1841, when following the resignation of abolitionist pastor Leonard Fletcher in 1840, a group of antislavery parishioners withdrew to form their own congregation in nearby Radnor. [1] In 1820, women received the right to vote on "all questions that may arise in the church." [4]
Chester County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It is located in the Delaware Valley region, located in the southeastern part of the state. As of the 2020 census, the population was 534,413, increasing by 7.1% from 498,886 in 2010. The county seat and most populated municipality is West Chester. Chester County was one of the three original Pennsylvania counties created by William Penn in 1682. It was named for Chester, England.
Chesterbrook is a census-designated place (CDP) in Chester County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is located within the Philadelphia metropolitan area and just south of Valley Forge National Historical Park. The population was 4,589 at the 2010 census.
Easttown Township is a township in Chester County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 10,984 at the 2020 census. The township, which lies in the western half of Philadelphia's Main Line suburbs, is comprised predominantly of parts of two unincorporated areas: Devon and Berwyn. A small portion of the township has a Paoli address.
Malvern is a borough in Chester County, Pennsylvania, United States. Malvern is the terminus of the Philadelphia Main Line. It is 19.4 miles (31.2 km) west of Philadelphia. The population was 3,419 at the 2020 census.
Tredyffrin Township is a township located in eastern Chester County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 29,332 at the 2010 census.
Media is a borough in and the county seat of Delaware County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is located about 13 miles (21 km) west of Philadelphia. It is part of the Delaware Valley.
The Welsh Tract, also called the Welsh Barony, was a portion of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania settled largely by Welsh-speaking Quakers. It is located to the west of Philadelphia. The original settlers, led by John Roberts, negotiated with William Penn in 1684 to constitute the Tract as a separate county whose local government would use the Welsh language. The Barony was never formally created, but the many Welsh settlers gave their communities Welsh names that survive today. A more successful attempt at setting up a Gwladfa occurred two centuries later, in the Chubut Province of Patagonia, Argentina.
Berwyn is a census-designated place (CDP) in Chester County, Pennsylvania, United States. Berwyn is located within Tredyffrin and Easttown Townships. The area is part of the Philadelphia Main Line suburbs.
Devon is a census-designated place (CDP) located in Easttown township in Chester County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 1,515 at the 2010 census. The area is part of the Philadelphia Main Line suburbs.
Wayne is an unincorporated community centered in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, United States, on the Main Line, a series of highly affluent Philadelphia suburbs located along the railroad tracks of the Pennsylvania Railroad and one of the wealthiest areas in the nation. While the center of Wayne is in Radnor Township, Wayne extends into both Tredyffrin Township in Chester County and Upper Merion Township in Montgomery County. The center of Wayne was designated the Downtown Wayne Historic District in 2012. Considering the large area served by the Wayne post office, the community may extend slightly into Easttown Township, Chester County, as well.
Patrick Anderson was an American Patriot who was an officer in the French and Indian War and the American Revolution and later was a member of the Pennsylvania General Assembly.
St. David's Episcopal Church, also known as St. David's at Radnor or Old St. David's, is a parish of the Episcopal Church located at 763 South Valley Forge Road in Radnor Township, Pennsylvania. The church property contains the original church built in 1715, a chapel, church offices, school and cemetery. The property straddles the borders of Radnor Township and Newtown Township in Delaware County and the majority of the cemetery is in Easttown Township, Chester County. It was founded c. 1700 in the Welsh Tract section of the Province of Pennsylvania by Welsh settlers and has grown to be the largest congregation in the Episcopal Diocese of Pennsylvania with approximately 3,000 members. The original church and cemetery were placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978.
The Old Eagle School is located near Strafford Station on the main line of the Pennsylvania Railroad in Tredyffrin Township, Chester County, Pennsylvania.
Pickering Creek is a 15.3-mile-long (24.6 km) tributary of the Schuylkill River in Chester County, Pennsylvania.
The David Havard House, also known as the Former Quarters of Lee and Bradford, is a historic home located near Valley Forge in Tredyffrin Township, Chester County, Pennsylvania. During the American Revolutionary War, it served as quarters for several of George Washington's senior officers.
The Newtown Square Friends Meeting House is a historic Quaker meetinghouse in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania, United States, built in 1711 and expanded in 1791 and 1891. It has housed, and continues to house, Quaker meetings for worship for over 300 years.
This article is about the particular significance of the year 1711 to Wales and its people.
Captain Samuel Van Leer was a military officer from Pennsylvania who served as a captain in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War and as a lieutenant in the Chester County Light Horse Volunteers from 1781 to 1785. After his retirement from the military, he owned the Reading Furnace ironworks.
Mount Zion A.M.E. Church is a historic African American church in Tredyffrin Township, Chester County, Pennsylvania. Built in 1880 and expanded in 1906, Mount Zion was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on January 27, 2015. It was an important community gathering place for African Americans battling racial segregation of local schools in the 1930s.
Benjamin Bartholomew was an American politician from Pennsylvania. He served as a member of the Pennsylvania Provincial Assembly, representing Chester County from 1773 to 1776.