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Friends of the African Union Church of South Coventry (FAUCSC) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit public charity established in April 2010 to preserve the site of a church and graveyard located in South Coventry Township, Chester County, Pennsylvania.

Donations are appreciated and help us maintain and improve the Church grounds and Cemetery. Donations can be made through Paypal via the link below:

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1873 map of Pottstown and environs with “Union Meeting House” indicated on what is now Coventryville Road in South Coventry township.

The half-acre site originally was owned by George Chrisman, Ironmaster of Coventry Forge. It was purchased from Chrisman in 1834 for $15 by 5 church trustees: John Williams, John Thomas, George Brown, and William Hinson, all believed to be residents of what was then known as Coventry Township; and Joseph Smith, believed to be a resident of Montgomery County.

The church and graveyard have been unattended for decades. The site is largely overgrown, hidden in a small patch of woods off Coventryville Road. Several gravestones and parts of a building foundation remain.

One possible story about the site that FAUCSC will investigate is that the church congregation originally was comprised largely of free Africans, some of whom had been rescued from illegal slave-smuggling ships and relocated with families in the Pottstown area. Reports indicate that some congregation members walked the 7 or 8 miles from Pottstown on Sunday mornings to attend services at the Union Meeting House on “Chestnut Hill” near Coventryville Village.

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