Plymouth Church Brooklyn, Henry Ward Beecher and the Civil War Photo Tour

In February 1860, Abraham Lincoln gave one of the most important speeches of his life at Cooper Union. It established him as a major contended for the presidency. The day before, he worshiped at Plymouth Church, which was seen as a way of him identifying with the growing anti-slavery movement in New York. He also went to services at Plymouth three weeks later. This is the only New York church where Lincoln is known to have worshiped at.

There is a “Lincoln niche” in the churchyard memorializing those visits.

This street outside of Plymouth Church in Brooklyn has seen a lot of things that belie its quiet appearance. During the 1850s the church was a stop on the Underground Railroad for escaping slaves and it was the scene of notorious “slave auctions” to raise money to buy freedom for slaves. People like Mark Twain, Clara Barton, Charles Dickens, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Horace Greeley, William Thackery, and Martin Luther King spoke here.

The Historic Brooklyn Heights area contains many Civil War Era buildings. Streetscenes today sometimes seem like they come from 150 years ago, as in this picture taken across from Plymouth Church.

Here is the church from the balcony. In Beecher’s day the church held 2,000 people for ordinary services. There were two services every Sunday. Up to a thousand additional folding seats could be set up for special occasions.

The lectern was made from olive tree wood brought back from a church trip to the Holy Land in 1867. The raised platform it is on is where Beecher preached and where he held his “slave auctions.”

The church has a substantial balcony, and a smaller upper balcony at the very back of the church where the American flag hangs. Under the upper balcony are stained glass windows of Beecher, Lincoln, and women in education.

Here is the view from the highest balcony.

Here is the first of the three windows over the rear balcony. This is Beecher speaking in England in 1863. He was sent by Lincoln to speak in manufacturing cities to try to win workers and merchants over to the Union cause even though unemployment in these cities had spiked due to the blockade.

Here is the third window. It represents Women in Education. The seated woman on the left is Beecher’s sister Harriet Beecher Stowe. She lived in Hartford, but she was a member of the church and worshiped there many times.

At the time of the Civil War, the windows were plain glass. The three dozen beautiful stained glass windows were installed over the decades after the war.

The side windows are essentially “Great Moments in Protestantism.” There are windows at both the ground level and above the first balcony.

I will post shots of a few of the windows. The first is John Milton calling for religious freedom for Protestants and the second shows the Pilgrims landing in Plymouth.

Even though the church is in New York, it was founded by transplanted New Englanders, Congregationalists transplanted from Mass, RI, and Ct. A lot of the windows commemorate New England, not New York.

Here is a window showing the founding of Harvard. There is another showing the founding of Williams College.

So, you also see windows giving tribute to people like Jonathan Edwards, the leader of the Great Awakening, who were important New England religious figures.

Here is Lyman Beecher, father of Henry Ward Beecher and Harriet Beecher Stowe. Lyman set off the first large anti-Irish riots in Boston with his repeated anti-immigrant sermons.

The church used organ music and had a hymnal that included black spirituals. This gigantic working organ dates to 1867.

Here is the platform where Beecher held his “slave auctions.” He “sold” escaped slaves to the congregation and used the proceeds to pay for their freedom.

Here is the platform seen from the altar. The podium was made from olive tree wood brought back from a church pilgrimate to the Holy Land in 1867.

The pews you see in the church today are the same ones there in Beecher’s day. Lincoln worshiped at the church twice in 1860. This is where he sat.

My generous guide Lois sitting behind Lincoln’s seat.

There are a number of memorials to Beecher around the church.

One of the slaves Beecher “sold” was this girl “Pinky:

There is an exhibit on the slaves who were auctioned,

Here is Pinky’s Ring.

Here is an explanation of the ring.

A painting of Pinky with her ring.

There are illustrations of the slave auctions in the historical gallery.

In the 1920s, one former slave who had been freed through one of Beecher’s auctions returned to the church to speak:

The church has several Puritan relics, like this piece of Plymouth Rock.

Lewis Tappan, a national leader of the abolitionist movement, was a member of the church and lived just a few blocks away.

The exhibits are housed in a gallery called Pinky’s Arcade

It is believed that the undercroft of the church was used to hide runaway slave.

Painting of Beecher at the church.

Beecher and Wife. Beecher would fall from influence when his affair with a congregant was revealed.

There is an interesting exhibit on the Beechers as commercial spokespeople. They were celebs and they profited by endorsing products like Mrs. Beecher’s Plasters.

Beecher is shown in the upper right of this ad for pool tables. He encourages people “Play billiards at home” to avoid the evils of pool halls. The church had pool tables when he was pastor.

In addition to the stained glass in the main church, the parish hall area has stained glass made by Louis Tiffany. These can only be seen on the tour. Here is one example.

There is a display case devoted to the author of Uncle Tom’s Cabin, Harriet Beecher Stowe.

Here is a spinoff play from Uncle Tom.

Here is a map of the area around the church, which is located at 57 Orange St. in Historic Brooklyn Heights. As you can see, it is in the Fruit Streets section.

The area near the church is among the highest priced property in the United States. While the streets immediately surrounding the church are exclusively residential, there are a range of dining establishments within a few blocks walk. Delis can be a great place to grab a sandwich and walk west to views of the harbor, although work on the Promenade makes spots to sit more difficult to find. There are also mid-range places like Park Plaza diner at the corner of Cadman Plaza and Pineapple Walk.

Beecher’s grave at Greenwood Cemetery.

The church has a Landmark designation.

Here is the New York City interpretive panel.