Macedonia Missionary Baptist Church, first organized between 1811 and 1813 in Burlington, Ohio, is recognized as the oldest Black congregation in the state. Located on Macedonia Hill—two miles from Burlington and the Ohio River and directly across from Virginia (now West Virginia)—the church became a sanctuary for freedom seekers traveling the Underground Railroad. Known as the “Mother Church” for Black Baptist congregations across the tri-state region, Macedonia played a foundational role in building a network of free Black communities dedicated to aiding those escaping enslavement.
Rev. Thomas Walker Fry, with Charlotte Fry, his wife, and Susan Gordon, their granddaughter. Walker and Charlotte were both manumitted in 1849 as part of the original Burlington 37. Fry led the group of settlers to Burlington in Lawrence County, Ohio and purchased what became known as the “Fry Lands,” where they first settled. In 1866, Fry became the founding pastor of Mt. Pisgah Baptist Church in the Red Hill Settlement near Proctorville. Image Credit: Original image has been corrected with the assistance of AI by the SSU Center for Public History.
The congregation’s origins trace back to the late 1790s, when the first free Black settlers in Lawrence County gathered for worship in their homes. In 1827, the arrival of 134 men, women, and children emancipated by John Ward of Virginia strengthened the growing free Black community in Burlington and the nearby Macedonia Hill community. They joined earlier free settlers in transforming the area into a center of faith and freedom, constructing their first church building in the 1830s. In 1849, a second influx of formerly enslaved settlers from Virginia, known today as the Burlington 37, further strengthened the community and led the congregation to erect the present church building.
Leaders in the Fight for Freedom
A key factor in Macedonia Missionary Baptist Church’s impact on the Underground Railroad was its membership in the Providence Anti-Slavery Baptist Association, the first independent Black Baptist association in the United States. Formed c1834, this association united Black Baptist congregations across the region in their commitment to abolition and mutual support. Its ministers, including prominent figures from Macedonia such as Reverends Jonathan and William P. Cradic, Thomas Walker Fry, and William B. Stewart, encouraged congregations to put their abolitionist faith into action by providing shelter, resources, and guidance to freedom seekers.
Through the Providence Anti-Slavery Baptist Association, Macedonia’s congregation and its leaders, like the Stewart and Cradic families, were part of an organized network dedicated to anti-slavery work in Lawrence, Scioto, Jackson, and Gallia counties. Rev. William B. Stewart, who served the Macedonia congregation, had strong familial connections with members of Union Baptist Church, which was made up of free Black residents of Poke Patch, a Black community also known as the “Stewart Settlement.” This interconnection strengthened Macedonia’s ability to support freedom seekers and reinforced a shared mission of liberation that was deeply rooted in both faith and community.
Reverend Thomas Walker Fry also exemplified this commitment, playing instrumental roles within both Macedonia and the broader anti-slavery network. As told by his granddaughter, Susan Gordon, “In the journey north [from Virginia] in wagons, drawn by horses provided by their master, the freemen were led by Walker Fry, the slave referred to in the will as ‘Walker,’ who had been a foreman on the Twyman plantation. After the journey had been completed and the little settlement had taken a definite form, Walker Fry served as common counsellor for all his companions and, according to a story related by ‘Aunt’ Susan [the granddaughter of Charlotte and Walker Fry] … was active in the ‘underground’ railway system, which enabled many runaway slaves to enter Ohio and begin new lives in the free states of the Union.”
Rev. William P. Cradic (1835–1912) served as a minister of Macedonia Missionary Baptist Church, a conductor on the Underground Railroad, and founding pastor of Triedstone Baptist Church in Ironton, Ohio. His leadership reflected the congregation’s enduring faith and commitment to freedom. He was the son of Jefferson Craddock, one of 134 people emancipated by John Ward of Virginia in 1827 who first settled in Lawrence County, Ohio. Image Credit: Original image has been corrected with the assistance of AI by the SSU Center for Public History.
Macedonia became the “mother church” as her children, former members and former pastors, established new congregations and nurtured the development of Underground stations throughout the region.
Members of the Cradic/Craddock family, who were manumitted by John Ward and resettled in Lawernce County, also played a key role in building out a Black Baptist network of freedom in the Appalachian foothills of Ohio. Jonathan Cradic would help establish the first Black Baptist congregation in Portsmouth, Ohio, what became known as Pleasant Green Baptist Church, and his uncle, William P. Cradic later went on to establish Triedstone Baptist Church in Ironton, further expanding the legacy of Macedonia and the reach of the Providence Association’s mission. In 1866, Thomas Walker Fry would organize Mt. Pisgah Baptist Church, a branch of Macedonia in the Red Hill Settlement, a rural Black community, located in the river hills, behind Proctorville. Together, these leaders and congregations created a unified front against slavery, acting with courage and conviction to assist those risking everything for freedom.
Philip Lynch and Interfaith and Interracial Cooperation
Philip Lynch, a trusted member of the Macedonia congregation, worked closely with Gabe Johnson, a Black Methodist from Quinn Chapel in Ironton, demonstrating the interfaith collaboration that marked the Underground Railroad in this region. Interracial cooperation was another key aspect of the Lawrence County network. Presbyterians, such as Rev. Gamaliel Beaman, the Presbyterian minister in Burlington, and Dr. Camillus Hall, the Postmaster of Burlington, worked with Lynch, Johnson, along with John Campbell, a Presbyterian layperson and influential figure in Ironton. Together, these individuals and communities formed a cooperative network across faiths and races, each playing a crucial role in assisting freedom seekers through Lawrence County.
Routes to Freedom through the Appalachian Ohio Network
Macedonia Missionary Baptist Church’s strategic location near the southernmost point of Ohio made it a vital gateway for freedom seekers crossing the Ohio River. Known as the “River Jordan” by those escaping bondage, the Ohio River served as a boundary between slave and free states. Those crossing the river at Proctorville were often aided by Lewis Brooks and his family in the nearby free Black settlement of Red Hill, where they received initial support and were then directed into the Macedonia network. Red Hill connected seamlessly to Macedonia’s routes, enabling freedom seekers to continue their journey northward.
For those who crossed the river at Burlington, the congregation of Macedonia Baptist Church provided a safe harbor before guiding them along established Underground Railroad routes. From Macedonia, freedom seekers traveled through the iron furnace region (the Wayne National Forest of today) to Poke Patch. There, many Black settlers joined Union Baptist Church—now located in Blackfork—and became founding members of the Providence Anti-Slavery Baptist Association. Its members, elders, and pastors all participated in aiding freedom seekers. These routes enabled the congregation at Macedonia and its allied communities to move freedom seekers from the Ohio River near Burlington, through Poke Patch in northern Lawrence County, and onward to the next stop in Berlin Crossroads in Jackson County.
The first “homecoming” after Macedonia was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1978. Among those in attendance were direct descendants of the original settlers, known as the Burlington 37. Pictured here (left-to-right) are Mrs. Vernon Howard, Mrs. Velvie Vinson, Mrs. Imogene Pleasant, and Mrs. Leota Boggs. Photograph by Lloyd Moore.
A Legacy of Resistance and Resilience
Macedonia Missionary Baptist Church embodies a rich history of resistance and resilience. As historian Cheryl LaRoche has observed, Black communities across the Appalachian region created a “geography of resistance” to aid freedom seekers, using family and community connections to build a protective network. Macedonia’s congregation worked closely with other Black settlements, sharing resources and risks to ensure the success of the Underground Railroad. The collective efforts of the Cradic, Fry, Lynch, and Stewart families, and many other unnamed community members were vital to the survival and safety of those fleeing slavery.
Preserving Macedonia’s History
Macedonia Missionary Baptist Church remains a powerful reminder of the region’s struggle for freedom and justice—and of the vital role the Black church played in inspiring and supporting Underground Railroad activity. Listed on both the National Register of Historic Places and the National Park Service’s Underground Railroad Network to Freedom, Macedonia stands as a testament to the courage of freedom seekers who crossed the Ohio River in search of liberty and to the communities that risked everything to help them. Today, visitors to Macedonia can reflect on the strength, faith, and moral conviction that defined this sacred place and the people who transformed it into a beacon of hope and liberation.
This site is part of the Appalachian Freedom Heritage Tour, funded by an ARC POWER Grant and developed by the Lawrence Economic Development Corp.
