Brooklyn

16. Plymouth Church: 75 Hicks Street, Brooklyn Heights

Plymouth Church in Brooklyn Heights

Plymouth Church was founded in 1847 by a group of nearly two dozen New England transplants to Brooklyn. Its first pastor was the eminent Henry Ward Beecher, the brother of Harriet Beecher Stowe, the author of Uncle Tom’s Cabin. Beecher was a tireless abolitionist who gained fame for his namesake “bibles,” or rifles he sent to abolitionists fighting in Kansas. Plymouth Church was known as Brooklyn’s “Grand Central Depot” of the New York Underground Railroad for its prominent activity in helping slaves escape and gain their freedom. Beecher would hold mock auctions at the church during sermons, where he would urge people to bid for the freedom of escaped slaves while simultaneously exhibiting the horrifying aspects of enslavement.

Sojourner Truth, Frederick Douglass, and William Lloyd Garrison all spoke at Plymouth Church. Abraham Lincoln visited and worshipped in the church in February 1860; he was, at the time, an unannounced presidential candidate. Lincoln was scheduled to speak at Plymouth Church during that same visit, but the venue was relocated at the last minute to Astor House in Manhattan, where he gave an anti-slavery speech that helped him win the Republican presidential nomination. The pew Lincoln sat in is now marked with a silver plaque, and Plymouth Church remains the only church in New York City that he attended. The original building burned down in 1849, which enabled the congregation to build a grander sanctuary seating 2,800. This building is now a national historic landmark that contains a piece of Plymouth Rock, one of two in the city.

17. Lewis Tappan House: 86 Pierrepont Street, Brooklyn Heights

86 Pierrepont Street was the home of Sydney Howard Gay and Lewis Tappan, both prominent abolitionists. Located within the Brooklyn Heights Historic District, the historic home is one of Brooklyn’s most important abolitionist-related residences. Lewis Tappan was a founder of the American Anti-Slavery Society, as well as the American Missionary Association. With his brother Arthur, Lewis Tappan led fundraising and advocacy efforts for the legal help and acquittal of fugitive slaves. His daughter Julianna served as an officer in the Ladies New York Anti-Slavery Society as well.

After a series of anti-slavery riots, Tappan moved into the home with his first wife Susannah, where he lived for his remaining years. Susannah passed away in 1853, after which he married the abolitionist Sarah. Lewis passed away in 1873, eight years after the end of the Civil War and the abolition of slavery nationally.