Seating “Negroes” in the Old Hadley meetinghouse

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From the collections of PVMA • Digital image © Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Assoc. • Image use information


About this item

In 1808, a new Congregational church was built in Hadley, Massachusetts.  The pews (benches surounded by partial walls) on the main floor were sold to White families, with the most expensive pews in the front, closer to the pulpit. Seating upstairs in the “gallery” was designated for single White men and women, and all African Americans, who were cordoned off behind a balustrade that prevented them from communicating with anyone else.

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Details

Item typeLetter
AuthorMunn, Asa B.
Date1874-11-08
PlaceHadley, Massachusetts
TopicAfrican American, Black Life
Religion, Church, Meetings & Revivals
EraColonial settlement, 1620–1762
Revolutionary America, 1763–1783
The New Nation, 1784–1815
National Expansion and Reform, 1816–1860
Civil War and Reconstruction, 1861–1877
MaterialPaper
Process/FormatHandwriting
Dimension detailsProcess Material: manuscript, paper, ink Height: 8.00 in Width: 5.00 in
Catalog #L09.008
View this item in our curatorial database →
Munn, Asa B. [Seating “Negroes” in the Old Hadley meetinghouse.] November 8, 1874. Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association, American Centuries. https://americancenturies.org/collection/l09-008/. Accessed on November 5, 2024.

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