“If the doors of perception were cleansed, every thing would appear to man as it is, Infinite.”
~ William Blake
I went on an adventure this evening. The Blue Grass Trust, the preservation society of the Bluegrass Region, had a “DeTour”, as they call it. The “DeTours” are free and open to anyone. Turns out they go to a lot of churches. Tonight, they were at St Paul’s A.M.E. on North Upper Street. You might remember St. Paul’s from a post last December.
St. Paul’s is one of the oldest African-American churches in Lexington. According to the presentation tonight, the Methodist Episcopal church started in Lexington in 1779 at Short and Deweese. The congregation of St. Paul’s convened in 1803 with a surprising 47 white and 30 black members. It was formally established in 1826. The following year, property with a stable was bought for the erection of a church. Part of that original stable is in the foundation of St. Paul.
One of the most striking historic facts about St. Paul’s was its role in the Underground Railroad. Behind the pulpit, in a sort of false wall, is hidden the narrowest of staircases leading to a small room above the sanctuary. There, tens, if not hundreds, of slaves took shelter on their journey north. They were fed by the church, and lead to safety by the church. The stairs were hardly 12″ wide; the room equally as small apparently (for safety reasons we weren’t able to see it). It was all pretty breathtaking. I love these “DeTours”. The next church on the BGT docket, you can bet I’ll be there.
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