Mingo Creek Presbyterian Church and Churchyard | |
Nearest city | Courtney, Pennsylvania |
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Coordinates | 40°13′44″N79°59′50″W / 40.22889°N 79.99722°W Coordinates: 40°13′44″N79°59′50″W / 40.22889°N 79.99722°W |
Area | 3 acres (1.2 ha) |
Built | 1793 |
MPS | Whiskey Rebellion Resources in Southwestern Pennsylvania MPS |
NRHP reference No. | 92001500 [1] |
Significant dates | |
Added to NRHP | November 12, 1992 |
Designated PHMC | March 04, 1994 [2] |
Mingo Creek Presbyterian Church and Churchyard is a church and historic location in Washington County, Pennsylvania. It is located at the junction of Pennsylvania Route 88 and Mingo Church Road in Union Township, Washington County, Pennsylvania, near Courtney, Pennsylvania. [3] It is a member of the Washington Presbytery. [4]
The original log Presbyterian meetinghouse was built in 1793. [2] The Mingo Creek Society, a group of dissidents founded in February 1794 that became involved in protest against the federal whiskey excise tax, met there. [2] It would serve as a focal point in the development of the Whiskey Rebellion, even becoming the site of militia musters in the fight against federal forces. [2] Some militia members are buried on the grounds, including Major James McFarlane, revolutionary war veteran, mortally wounded at the July 1794 battle of Bower Hill during the climax of the resistance of the Whiskey Rebellion at the residence of John Neville . [2] [5]
In the early years, the church was served by circuit-riding preachers who ministered to the early settlers of the era. [4] Many of the service were held underneath a young oak tree. In 1990, that tree had grown large, but had become infested by ants. [4] In response, the church members removed most of the tree, but left the base of the trunk, which they then carved into a statue of a circuit-riding preacher. [4] "Reverend Stump," as it was called. The stump still stands, but is still plagued by carpenter ants. [4]
In 1994, the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission installed a historical marker noting the historic importance of the location. [2] It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1992. It is designated as a historic public landmark by the Washington County History & Landmarks Foundation. [3]
The current church, built in 1831, is a one and a half-story brick building, largely unadorned. It was renovated in 1904, with multi-paned stained glass replacing older windows in 1936. A manse (1924) and a two-story education building (1958) are also on the site but are not part of the national register boundary. The church yard/cemetery, on a high hill to the southwest of the church, contains dated tombstones from 1790. [5]
Washington County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 209,349. Its county seat is Washington.
The Whiskey Rebellion was a violent tax protest in the United States beginning in 1791 and ending in 1794 during the presidency of George Washington. The so-called "whiskey tax" was the first tax imposed on a domestic product by the newly formed federal government. Beer was difficult to transport and spoiled more easily than rum and whiskey. Rum distillation in the United States had been disrupted during the American Revolutionary War, and whiskey distribution and consumption increased afterwards. The "whiskey tax" became law in 1791, and was intended to generate revenue for the war debt incurred during the Revolutionary War. The tax applied to all distilled spirits, but consumption of American whiskey was rapidly expanding in the late 18th century, so the excise became widely known as a "whiskey tax". Farmers of the western frontier were accustomed to distilling their surplus rye, barley, wheat, corn, or fermented grain mixtures to make whiskey. These farmers resisted the tax. In these regions, whiskey often served as a medium of exchange. Many of the resisters were war veterans who believed that they were fighting for the principles of the American Revolution, in particular against taxation without local representation, while the federal government maintained that the taxes were the legal expression of Congressional taxation powers.
The Mother Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church is a historic church and congregation at 419 South 6th Street in Center City Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. The congregation, founded in 1794, is the oldest African Methodist Episcopal congregation in the nation. Its present church, completed in 1890, is the oldest church property in the United States to be continuously owned by African Americans. It was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1972.
Buildings, sites, districts, and objects in Virginia listed on the National Register of Historic Places:
John Neville was an American military officer, land speculator, and local official who served in the French and Indian War, Lord Dunmore's War and the American Revolutionary War. As an early federal tax collector he became a central figure in the Whiskey Rebellion.
David Bradford (1762–1808) was a successful lawyer and deputy attorney-general for Washington County, Pennsylvania in the late 18th century. He was infamous for his association with the Whiskey Rebellion, and his fictionalized escape to the Spanish-owned territory of West Florida with soldiers at his tail. He was later pardoned by President John Adams for his actions. Today, his family's home in Washington, Pennsylvania is a national landmark and museum.
Herman Husband was an American farmer, pamphleteer, author, and preacher. He is best known as a leader of Regulator Movement, a populist rebellion in the Province of North Carolina in the years leading up to the American Revolutionary War. He was born on December 3, 1724, in Cecil County, Maryland to William Husband and Mary Kinkey/Kankey.
Bushy Run Battlefield Park is a historical park that is operated by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission (PHMC) and the Bushy Run Battlefield Heritage Society on 218 acres (88 ha) in Penn Township, Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania in the United States. It was the site of the Battle of Bushy Run fought on August 5–6, 1763 during the Pontiac's Rebellion. The battle was a major victory for the British and enabled them to secure their control of the Ohio River Valley and what was to become the Northwest Territory. Bushy Run Battlefield Park was established as a Pennsylvania State Park in the 1920s and became a National Historic Landmark in 1960. The Visitor Center is open Wednesday through Saturday from 9:00 am until 5:00 pm, and Sunday from noon to 5:00 pm, during the months of May–October. The Visitor Center hosts a museum exhibit entitled, "The March to Bushy Run", a theater, a gift shop and battlefield tours. Bushy Run Battlefield Park is the only historic site or museum that deals exclusively with Pontiac's Rebellion. Battle reenactments are held annually on the first full weekend of August. The park is on Pennsylvania Route 993 near Harrison City and Jeannette.
The David Bradford House is a historic house museum at 175 South Main Street in Washington, Pennsylvania. Completed in 1788, it was the home of David Bradford, a leader of the Whiskey Rebellion. It has both architectural and historic importance, and was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1983. It is open weekly between April and November, or by appointment.
The David Espy House is a historic house at 123 East Pitt Street in Bedford, Pennsylvania. Built in 1770, it is significant as the residence used by President George Washington when he was leading the troops that put down the Whiskey Rebellion in 1794. It was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1983. The house is now used for commercial purposes.
Woodville, also known as the Neville House or John Neville House, is a house on Washington Pike south of Heidelberg, Pennsylvania. It is significant for its association with John Neville, a tax collector whose other house was burned in the Whiskey Rebellion in 1794. The oldest portion of the house dates to 1775, with a main section built a decade later. It is one of the oldest houses in Allegheny County, preserved and restored to its original condition.
John McMillan was a prominent Presbyterian minister and missionary in Western Pennsylvania when that area was part of the American Frontier. He founded the first school west of the Allegheny Mountains, which is now known as John McMillan's Log School. He is one of the founders of Washington & Jefferson College.
Lobb's Cemetery, a.k.a. Lobb's Run Cemetery, is a historic cemetery in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. It takes its name from Lobb's Run, a minor tributary of the Monongahela River, which flows by the entrance to the cemetery.
Thomas Gaddis (1742–1834) was a militia officer in the American Revolutionary War. He was born December 28, 1742, in Winchester, Frederick County, Virginia and married Hannah Rice in 1764; the same year he built Fort Gaddis, a refuge from the Indians, located on the Catawba Trail. In fact, Pennsylvania and Virginia had conflicting claims in the area Gaddis settled. Though he maintained his loyalty to Virginia, Gaddis also protected his investment by recording his patent with Pennsylvania authorities. By 1773, both states created new geo-political boundaries in recognition of increased white settlement. Pennsylvania formed Westmoreland County out of the larger Bedford County, and Virginia established the District of West Augusta. In 1776, West Augusta was further divided into three counties: Ohio, Yohogania, and Monongalia, where Gaddis and his family resided.
The Presbyterian Church in Basking Ridge is a historic church at 1 E. Oak Street in the Basking Ridge section of Bernards Township in Somerset County, New Jersey, United States. The church congregation was founded in 1717. The present church, which was constructed in 1839 in a Greek Revival style, is listed in the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. Until 2017, the churchyard held the Old Oak Tree of Basking Ridge, which was estimated to be 600 years old.
Buffalo Presbyterian Church is a historic Presbyterian church located at Buffalo Township, Union County, Pennsylvania. It was built in 1846, and is a one-story, brick and wood-frame building, three bays wide and four bays deep. It features a full-width portico supported by four square columns.
The Claysville "S" Bridge is a historic S bridge in Washington County, Pennsylvania. The bridge is made of stone and was a part of the Cumberland Road and helped transport wagons and stagecoaches amid the American westward expansion in the early 19th century. It passes over Buffalo Creek.
Hill's Tavern is a historic building in Scenery Hill, Pennsylvania. It was heavily damaged by a fire that started shortly before midnight on August 17, 2015. For a period in the early 1900s, the inn was known as Central Hotel. Now called the Century Inn, it has been claimed to have been the oldest tavern in continuous use on the National Road, until the fire brought an end to its 221 years of continuous operation.
John Corbley Farm, also known as Slave Gallant, is a historic home located at Greene Township in Greene County, Pennsylvania. The house was built about 1796, as a two-story, five bay, brick dwelling on a stone foundation. It has a gable roof. Its builder, Rev. John Corbly (1733–1803), was a founder of the local Baptist church and rebel associated with the Whiskey Rebellion. In 1782, his family was massacred in the Corbly Family massacre. The farm name of 'Slave Gallant' derived from Slieve Gallion in Ireland, which was nearby where John Corbley was born and raised before emigrating to Pennsylvania.
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