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Beaver County Churches Involved: Milestones Special Issue

Milestones Vol 30. No. 2

Although several aspects of the involvement of the religious groups in Beaver County have already been discussed, the following brief outline should help to summarize some of this activity.

Many of the churches in Beaver County appear to have been supportive of the abolitionist movement. Many believed that the Reformed Presbyterians (Covenanters) may have been some of the earliest abolitionists in the area. Also, the Quakers were united against slavery and were extremely active in operating the Underground Railroad. The Presbyterians and Methodists were also opposed to it despite the rulings of their national organizations. For example, the First Presbyterian Church in New Brighton was very active. Ministers other than Arthur Bullus Bradford who preached against slavery included William McElwee of Frankfort Springs, James Haggerty of Hanover, and Marcus Ormond of Hookstown and Tomlinson's Run (United Presbyterians) and the itinerant Methodist preachers in the larger Beaver Valley towns.