St. Mark C.M.E Church, also known as "People's Colored Church of Doylestown," was chartered (declared an organization) April 29, 1874, though it wasn't until 13 years later, on October 1, 1887, that church trustees purchased a building on Ashland St., by the Doylestown railroad.
In August of that year (124 years ago!), John D. Mitchel, a trustee and "preacher in charge," ordered 50 donation cards from the Doylestown Daily Intelligencer's print shop. I haven't found a sample of the finished card, but I do have the handwritten order that Mr. Mitchel wrote out.
It's a really amazing piece of history, but a little sad, too. Almost every other hand-written document in the boxes I found is well-composed, perfectly spelled out in impeccable handwriting. In comparison, Mitchel's letter - most likely the only one I've got that's written by an African American - could have been written by a child. It's a depressing reminder of the dearth of education for anyone who wasn't white, or, oftentimes, male, in America's history:
this is a collection for the purpose of curtailing a debt now Handing on us in bilding our new church and each star Represents ten cents the giver will please take the punch pin And make a hole in the star
thise cards is to be returned on sunday the 7 day of August 1887 at 3 o'clock p m at our grand Rally by orders of the trustees
John D Mitchel
Preacher in charge
Still, Mitchel's donation cards helped. The church stayed on Ashland for 37 years (though changed denominations in 1907, when it became the Second Baptist Church of Doylestown).
To see a lengthier history about Second Baptist, check out their Web site here.
This is fascinating and agree with your comments about how this reflects on the pastors level of education. However, his handwriting would put anyone under the age of 20 to shame. Good penmanship is becoming a lost art.
ReplyDelete