African Americans in West Chester, Pennsylvania:
Their History, a Connection and a Link

By Penny L Washington
Copyright: Penny L. Washington, 2005

Penny L. Washington is the fourth generation of her family to be raised in West Chester. Washington is a graduate of West Chester University. Her fields of study included English Literature, History and Journalism. Washington is a featured writer for the Philadelphia Inquirer. She has done extensive work researching the history of African Americans in her hometown. Her work appears in the bicentennial history of West Chester. She conducted a successful walking tour of the town's historic Black neighborhoods in 1999.

West Chester Pennsylvania is a town blessed with history and heritage. African Americans have helped to create the borough's legacy. They have built, acquired and maintained homes. They have also established institutions which have sustained their spirits.

The borough was incorporated in 1799. It has evolved from a small eighteenth century hamlet. Wealthy Quaker families were among the first to settle the area. During the nineteenth century, the town's proximity to the Mason-Dixon Line made it an important stop on the Underground Railroad. Fleeing slaves found the area somewhat hospitable and began establishing new lives in the small towns of Southeastern Pennsylvania. One such person to relocate was Benjamin Freeman. He made his way from Maryland to Chester County during the 1830's. He eventually settled at 127 West Barnard Street in the borough.

Despite West Chester's Quaker roots, segregation remained a fact of life in the town well into the twentieth century. Restaurants, schools, parks and the town's move theater once operated on a restricted basis.

West Chester's original Black development was located at Everhart Grove. The town began to experience residential and industrial growth as early as the 1830's. This fact caused Blacks to be uprooted from their secure enclave as development pushed into previously remote areas of the growing town. It was during the 1850's that West Chester's African Americans began to establish a concrete presence on the borough's East End.

The borough has a rich industrial history. Blacks found employment in the local brick, coal and wagon wheel yards and mills which proliferated in the East End neighborhood. Blacks established homes close to their places of employment. They also crafted civic and religious institutions in the areas of the town that sheltered their bodies as well as their aspirations.

Bethel A.M.E. Church is the oldest African American church in the community. The roots of this A.M.E. denomination can be traced to 1816. Early members of this town's church met in a small building at Everhart Grove. The present church on East Miner Street dates from 1867. The Black churches of note include St. Luke U.A.M.E. Church, St. Paul's Baptist Church, Second Presbyterian Church, Mount Carmel Church, Highway Gospel Community Temple and Rice's Temple.

Another important development took place in April of 1896. It was at that time that the Star Social Club was established. Working class Black men in the borough were motivated to create a club where men of their race could meet to socialize. Other long established African American institutions include the Captain Levi M. Hood Lodge, created in 1908 and the West Chester Community Center whose roots can be traced to 1918.

All across the nation, Blacks continued to struggle to exercise citizenship rights. In 1882, West Chester Blacks had cause to be hopeful. Moses Hepburn became the first African American to sit on borough council. Hepburn was a respected entrepreneur and community leader.

For years, West Chester's Black population also struggled to secure integrated education for their children. The Gay Street School was built in 1894 in response to the Black community's demand for an appropriate educational facility. The school opened in 1895 and continued to provide segregated education until 1957. The students who were educated at the school were taught by a deeply caring African American staff. West Chester native and noted Civil Rights activist Bayard Rustin received his early education from this school.

The town's Black residents took pride in their churches, institutions and men and women of achievement. They also took pride in their homes. Owning a home in the 100 block of East Miner Street was seen as an accomplishment. This block of Victorian era row houses sheltered members of the Black middle and working classes. House painters, cooks, teachers and artists all lived side by side. This occupational and economic diversity was a result of restrictive housing practices that once shaped the making of West Chester neighborhoods.

In conclusions, West Chester's African Americans have successfully made a life for themselves in this community. Their achievements, document the past. Studying their legacy provides a connection to their world and a link to the future by the understanding we give their deeds today.

Works Consulted

Bethel A.M.E. Church Archives. West Chester, Pennsylvania.

Clipping File, Chester County Historical Society. West Chester, Pennsylvania.

Miller, Florence (1994). A Legacy of Learning: The History of the West Chester Area Schools. West Chester Areas School District. West Chester, Pennsylvania.

Schooler, Alice Kent (1980). West Chester Historic Sites Survey. West Chester, Pennsylvania.

Penny L. Washington Papers.