Title
The Abyssinian Church
Bureau/Division/Agency
Archives; Secretary of State
Document Type
MovingImage
Exact Creation Date
10-16-2019
Broad Creation Date
1826; 1898
Language
English
Location
Portland
Keywords
Maine; Abyssinian Church; Underground Railroad
Recommended Citation
"The Abyssinian Church" (2019). Maine Bicentennial Moments. 1.
https://digitalmaine.com/arc_200th_moments/1
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Rights Statement
No Copyright - United States. URI: http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/NoC-US/1.0/
The organization that has made the Item available believes that the Item is in the Public Domain under the laws of the United States, but a determination was not made as to its copyright status under the copyright laws of other countries. The Item may not be in the Public Domain under the laws of other countries. Please refer to the organization that has made the Item available for more information.
Description
In 1826, Reuben Ruby and five others built a church in Portland, the first free place in Maine for black people to worship without being segregated. It was a school, lecture hall, and part of the Underground Railroad. In 1898, a third of the Abyssinian congregation were aboard the U.S.S. Portland when it sank. Soon thereafter, the church disbanded.