The First 100 Years 1907-2007: The History of the First Baptist Church of Passtown and Its Home in the Beloved Community in Hayti Coatesville, Pennsylvania

By Toni Barber

The First 100 Years tells the story from 1907 to 2007 of the First Baptist Church of Passtown and the African American Community of Hayti in Coatesville, Pennsylvania. The church members and residents tell their stories in words and pictures during the milestone 100th Anniversary of the First Baptist Church of Passtown in 2007.

There are many historical Hayti communities throughout the United States. In this Hayti community, families migrating from the South found an oasis and have been neighbors and friends for over 100 years.
Whether researching segregated schools in a northern state; or family members who migrated from the South to work in a steel town; or history contained in the books written by Hayti residents; you may find the answer inside, on the pages of this book.

The surprise connections fell from the sky. What began as a small, local history of our church and community has yielded so much more historical texture.

The years tell us much that the days never knew - Ralph Waldo Emerson
Welcome to Hayti and the First Baptist Church of Passtown!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Gatekeeper Press
• Release date: Feb 18, 2024
• ISBN: 9781662922695

Book preview

Introduction

The YEARS tell us much that the DAYS never knew

– Ralph Waldo Emerson.

It is on the occasion of the 100th Anniversary of The First Baptist Church of Passtown, that we, the church members and members in this community, have come together to compile the history of this great church and of this African American community.

The First Baptist Church of Passtown and the community of Hayti, also known as Passtown, are located in Valley Township, Coatesville, PA.

The church was founded in 1907, and for one hundred years, the church and community have been tied closely to one another. There is hardly a family in this community who has not been connected to or impacted by The First Baptist Church of Passtown. It has been through their faith, trust, and reliance on God’s grace that both the members of The First Baptist Church of Passtown and the residents of the Hayti community have persevered and prospered and have been blessed with the love, joy and peace of Jesus Christ.

The writers of this History sought the stories and pictures of community and church members. The attempt was made to include everyone. For three years preceding the 100th Anniversary the committee solicited pictures and stories from all the members. The many pictures and stories we received were carefully, lovingly and joyfully compiled into this book.

While we may not have received all the members’ stories or pictures, we encourage church members and families to tell the histories of their families and of this church and community to future generations. A story not told will soon be lost.

This is the story of the first 100 years of The First Baptist Church of Passstown.

Thank you to all who submitted stories and pictures, and for the joyful trip down memory lane.

Rev. John Fells outside the original church building on Church Street

HISTORY OF THE FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH OF PASSTOWN

What mean ye by these stones? Joshua 4:6

The historical pathway starts in the humble community of Rock Run in Coatesville, Pennsylvania. The church was organized June 1, 1907. The original organizers and members were Ida Curry, Sallie Haines, Eva Kidd, Harrison Kidd, Annie Thomas, Edward Thomas, Nanna Robb, and its first Pastor, Rev. Philip Robb. Sunday church meetings were held in the homes of the original members.

The church was moved to the Coatesville community of Passtown (also known as Hayti) in 1914, meeting in the home of Sister Sallie Haines. The church later was moved to a little frame building about 15 x 15 belonging to Mr. Henry Curry.

The first Revival was held in March 1915. The membership increased from 7 to 14 members.

A new church building was started on July 11, 1915. Sister Sallie Haines could often be seen picking up stones and placing them in a wheelbarrow for use in construction of the church foundation. She also worked alongside the men in the actual construction of the foundation. The cornerstone of The First Baptist Church of Passtown was laid by the Grand Master John P. Scott, under the authorization of the Lily of the Valley Lodge No. 59 F.A.M. of Coatesville, PA. The sermon was preached by Rev. J.C. King of West Chester, PA. Rev. Robb officiated as host pastor. The wheelbarrow used by Sister Sallie Haines was placed on the front yard of the church for many years as a testament to the hard work and dedication of the members in building the church.

The first Deacons were ordained on April 23, 1922. They were: John H. Barber, William M. Romans, and James J. Washington. Witnesses were Rev. A. Alexander and Rev. Edward Brewer.

On October 22, 1922, a council was called to officially recognize the church. Rev. John Coleman was moderator, with the following Baptist churches in attendance: Tabernacle, Coatesville, PA; The Star of Hope, Tacony, Philadelphia, PA; Friendship, Coatesville, PA; Ebenezer, Lancaster, PA; St. Paul, West Chester, PA; and The First Baptist Church of Stottsville, PA. The church accepted the Bible for its guide and the Baptist Hiscox Directory. Rev. Alexander preached the recognition sermon and Rev. D. E. Howard gave Charge to the church.

In the closing years of Rev. Robb’s pastorate, his health began to fail, and on August 1, 1926, Rev. Robb resigned.

The first Trustees were elected on January 22, 1927. They were: John Barber, Edward Thomas, and James Washington.

Under the leadership of Deacon Wesley Oaks, a Pulpit Committee of John Barber, Edward Thomas, Edward Young, James Washington, Hattie Barber, Phoebe Roberson, and Carrie Romans led the church in obtaining the service of Rev. John A. Fells as interim pastor on April 14, 1927.

On June 23, 1927, Rev. Alexander Joseph of Philadelphia became the pastor. The church showed marked improvement under Rev, Joseph’s administration which lasted eight years. Dirt was dug out from the cellar to make a useable church basement in 1928. Auxiliary development was a highlight of his leadership. Rev. Joseph served until 1935.

The Rev. M. L. Beverly, of Chester, PA, succeeded Rev. Joseph in July 1936 and served for three years. A junior church was established and exterior maintenance projects were accomplished.

The Deacons were in charge from 1939 until 1941.

Rev. Harry L. Strother of Philadelphia was called as pastor on January 11, 1941, and served from 1941 until 1944, adding several auxiliaries and making exterior improvements.

Rev. John Fells was called again, but this time as presiding pastor in July 1945. At the beginning of his administration, the church prospered and showed progress with increased membership, the organization of a junior choir, initiation of Harvest Home, and the creation of the Building Committee, Banking Committee, and Building Fund. He tendered his resignation in 1949.

The Deacons were again in charge, and they formed a Pulpit Committee composed of Deacons. As a result, Rev. David Minus, Jr. of Newark, Delaware was called in February 1950. Rev. Minus was a young minister whose many talents included singing and playing the accordion and the piano.

Rev. Minus was elected almost unanimously. He found the church in poor condition. It had been through one disaster after another. However, under the leadership of Rev. Minus, things that the church had been trying to do for thirty-five years, it was able to do in two years. The accomplishments included a water and heating system, a new pulpit set, a Communion table, pews, lights, a new piano, a new door, repairs to the floor and the chimney, and remodeling of the church basement. The remodeled basement housed a new modern kitchen and a social hall area. The total cost for all these improvements was approximately ten thousand dollars.

After all this was completed, in 1954, during a raging thunderstorm, lightning struck the church, setting it on fire and burning it to the ground. The church was completely destroyed. All that was left was a small piece of paper that was found in the ashes, on which was written, He Lives.

After the fire, church services were held at the Passtown ElementarySchool (currently the Valley Township Municipal Building) for more than a year. During this time, plans were formulated for our present edifice. A Rebuild Committee led by Rev. Minus, included Deacon John Barber, Brothers Herbert Brown, Douglas Lambert, Sr., John Fornace, James Curry, Sr., and Sister Alberta White. The church purchased land on Barber Avenue and broke ground in the summer of 1954. On February 6, 1955, the cornerstone, a gift of the W. Latta White Company of Honey Brook, PA, was laid under the auspices of the Lily of the Valley Masonic Lodge No. 59. That small piece of page with the words, He Lives, was placed in the cornerstone of the new church. On November 13, 1955, Rev. Minus and the members marched from the old church building on Church Street to the unfinished new church for its first service.

In 1961 the church was practically completed. As the members worked, they paid the debts. There was no mortgage. Many members helped in building the new church, using their skills in carpentry, heating and plumbing, painting, and so on. Leading by example, Rev. Minus also worked on rebuilding the church, often using his lunchtime to work on the church. It was not just the men who worked to rebuild the church. The ladies of the church worked tirelessly as well. It was an excited and motivated congregation who set about rebuilding the church.

Dedication celebration programs and ceremonies were held throughout the entire month of October 1961 – from Sunday, October 1 through Sunday, October 29, 1961. There were eighteen dedicatory services or events throughout the month of October.

In addition to rebuilding the church edifice, Rev. Minus’ accomplishments included establishing a young people’s choir called the Sparks of Joy, which was originated at the old church on Church Street, and performed throughout the surrounding area, raising money for the church; the Children’s Choir; the Gospel Chorus; and the Junior Ushers. The membership increased from sixty to two hundred fifty. Among the new members were eighteen young people who accepted Christ one particular Sunday and were baptized on April 23, 1961. All or most of those young people continue to serve Christ today, and several are ministers locally and in other parts of the country.

Rev. Minus was a strong presence in the Hayti and Coatesville community. In the 1950s he purchased an apartment building and replaced troublesome tenants with church members, thus changing for the better the character of that area and the community.

On July 29, 1966, Rev. David Minus resigned to accept a new charge and challenge as the pastor of The Second Baptist Church of Moorestown, New Jersey.

A Pulpit Committee was organized with Deacon James Conway, Sr. as Chairman. Committee members were Deacon Herbert Brown, Margaret Barber, Annabelle Carter, Anna Mae Cuff, Marie Fornace, Lilley Gairy, Walter Johnson, Louise Rivera, Ethel Minnifield, and Walter Washington.

On August 26, 1967, Rev. Charles Cunningham from Philadelphia was elected as the new pastor. Rev. Cunningham was installed on October 8, 1967, and served until 1970. He established a Sick Committee, Evangelistic Committee, Bible Class and Dramatic Club. A private Prayer Box was also established to be used by persons requesting prayer.

On May 29, 1971, the church elected Rev. Michael Neely Harris to serve as pastor. On September 26, 1971, Rev. Michael Harris was installed as pastor of The First Baptist Church of Passtown. He was selected by a search committee chaired by Brother Walter Johnson and included Deacons James Conway, Herbert Brown, Leroy Carter, and Leroy Jacks; Sisters Margaret Barber, Catherine Brickus, Indiana Morton, and Louise Rivera; and Brothers Anthony Barber, Reginald Morton, and Walter Washington.

Rev. Harris increased membership attendance and financial gifts, reactivated auxiliaries, and initiated several new auxiliaries. Under his leadership, land was purchased for a parsonage. The parsonage was built, and the pastor and his family moved into it in June of 1973. The parsonage’s 20 year mortgage was initiated in September of 1973 and was retired in October 1974. Rev. Harris made many physical improvements to the church, such as a new public address system, cushions for the pews, carillon bells and chimes, a new roof, carpeting, re-painting and much more. It was during his leadership that Sister Louise Lambert Jackson Smith was elected as the first woman Trustee of The First Baptist Church of Passtown. Rev. Harris also established the Nursery, Nurses Guild, Hospitality Committee, and the distribution of Harvest Home food items to the disadvantaged. He initiated a church blood bank and a Sunday School class at the Chester County Juvenile Detention Center. Rev. Harris impacted the lives of the students in the Coatesville Area School District and was active in the affairs of the Coatesville community. Rev. Harris also led the church in the acquisition of properties to be used for additional parking facilities.

On Sunday, March 12, 1980, a letter read to the congregation advised of the pending resignation of our pastor, Rev. Harris, to become effective on June 22, 1980. He had been called to become the pastor of The Emmanuel Baptist Church in Brooklyn, New York. The Passtown Church family honored Rev. and Mrs. Harris with a Fond Farewell Reception and Dinner on June 6, 1980.

Deacon Norman Allen chaired the Pulpit Committee in its search for its next God-appointed shepherd to lead the flock at Passtown Baptist Church. The other Pulpit Committee members were Deacons Anthony Barber, Herbert Brown, Leroy Carter, Charles DeValia, Leroy Jacks, Brodie Mathis; Trustees Tyrone Carter and William Cuff, Jr.; and members Sondra Allen, Alvester Andrews, Catherine Brickus, Anna Mae Cuff, Margaret Glover, and Walter Johnson.

After listening to many guest ministers and after an investigatory trip taken by Deacon Norman Allen, Deacon Anthony Barber, and Trustee William Cuff, Jr. to Donaldson, Tennessee, a special call meeting was held at Passtown Church on Saturday, July 11, 1981. The moderator of the meeting was Rev. Charles V. Willis, pastor of the Tabernacle Baptist Church in Coatesville, PA. At this meeting Rev. John Dee Mobley, Sr. was elected as pastor of The First Baptist Church of Passtown.

Rev. John D. Mobley, Sr. became the next pastor of Passtown Baptist Church on October 4, 1981. Rev. Mobley, originally from Selma, Alabama, had served as the pastor of the Mt. Hopewell Baptist Church of Donaldson, Tennessee, prior to his move to Coatesville.

During Rev. Mobley’s leadership there was an increase in membership, as well as the establishment or revitalization of auxiliaries, outreach programs, building funds and committees, and youth development programs. Church-owned vehicles were purchased, including a 47-passenger coach bus and three vans. Church fellowship opportunities increased, including the Forever Young Fellowship, Men’s Fellowship, Women’s, Men’s, and Youth Retreats, church-sponsored vacation travel, and a variety of other church and outreach activities. Rev. Mobley installed the first woman President of the Trustee Board, Sister Barbara Carter Bottoms. He also established the Educational Enrichment Program, the Imperial Choir, the Men’s Fellowship Choir, and the Mass Choir. Among Rev. Mobley’s many accomplishments were installations of two additional parking lots, the remodeling of the kitchen, many interior and exterior improvements, and the acquisition of surrounding property for future church expansion. He also was instrumental in the founding of the Coatesville Ministerial Alliance. Rev. Mobley instituted the Community Picnic. He was known as the Community Preacher for his commitment to the Hayti and Coatesville community.

Under Rev. Mobley’s pastoral leadership, several ministerial Sons of Passtown, were licensed and/or ordained: Rev. Norman Allen, Rev. Harry Butcher, Rev. Tyrone Carter, Rev. Steven Crutchfield, Rev. John D. Mobley, Jr., Min. William Reeves, Rev. Laverne Taylor, and Rev. S. Lee Teel.

Before his retirement, Rev. Mobley presided at the Church Business Meeting during which the Search Committee for the next Pastor was selected. The members of the Search Committee were Chairman, Bro. Alvester Andrews, Deacon Joe Lewis, Bro. James Smith, Sis. Beverly Barnes, Sis. Barbara Bottoms, and Bro. Shane Dickinson.

Rev. Mobley retired after having served as pastor of The First Baptist Church of Passtown for 25 years and was feted with a Retirement Banquet which was well attended by the entire Coatesville Community. He preached his Farewell Sermon on Sunday, October 29, 2006, at which service several people gave their lives to Christ.

The First Baptist Church of Passtown, with the Deacons in charge, celebrated its 100th Anniversary during the month of June 2007. Deacon Joe Lewis served as President of the Deacon Board. Board members were Deacon Anthony Barber, Deacon John King, Deacon MacArthur Leach, and Deacon Danny Washington. The 100th Anniversary was a wonderfully grand celebration of God’s relationship with the people of this church and this community.

Sons of this church who preach God’s Word in various ministries throughout the country returned home to The First Baptist Church of Passtown to deliver messages throughout the month of June. The congregation went back in time on the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Sundays in June to re-live 1907, the 1930s, and the 1960s, respectively, in music and costume. Additionally, services were held nightly during the week of June 18th. Each service was extremely well attended.

On Friday, June 22nd, the congregation and friends gathered at the Old Church site on Church Street in Hayti to praise the Lord with an outdoor service. A monument plaque was unveiled during the service to identify the site as the original building location of The First Baptist Church of Passtown.

On Saturday, the entire community celebrated with a parade down Business Route 30, Lincoln Highway, past the Old Church Site on Church Street, up Main Street, and then to the present location of The First Baptist Church of Passtown, where the first-ever Passtown Church/ Hayti Reunion was held.

The culmination of the Anniversary celebration included the Sunday morning and afternoon services, where our former Pastors, Rev. Michael N. Harris and Rev. John D. Mobley, Sr., delivered the morning message and afternoon message, respectively. The church was truly blessed to have had our former Pastors travel from their current residences in Atlanta, Georgia, and Selma, Alabama, to join in our celebration of the 100th Anniversary of The First Baptist Church of Passtown.

The church truly has been blessed. Following Rev. Mobley’s retirement after 25 years, the church auxiliary organizations continue to hold their Annual Day Services, the Women’s Retreats, the Youth Retreats, the Men’s Fellowship, the annual Missionary Fashion Show, Vacation Bible School, Forever Young activities, the Education Committee scholarships and awards, Wednesday Night Bible Study and Prayer Meeting. The Gospel Chorus celebrated its 50th Anniversary, and many other activities and celebrations continue. Throughout the past century, God has been with us every step of the way, and we are thankful that He continues to bless our church and community. God placed The First Baptist Church of Passtown here in Hayti to fulfill His purpose. Let us grow and reach out in love, so that all will be saved.

This is the story of the first 100 years of The First Baptist Church of Passtown and its home in the community of Hayti.

1700s - Passtown/Hayti Beginnings

The following article, by Douglas Harper, is from the Daily Local Newspaper, West Chester, PA, December 28, 1986:

Before There Was A Hayti, There Was Passtown

Before there was a Hayti, there was Passtown.

Passtown is the old name for the area along Lincoln Highway, just west of Coatesville. It was also called Hand’s Pass or simply, The Pass.

There is a narrow gap in the North Valley Hills here, and this pass gave the place its early name.

As for Hand’s Pass, in the days when the Lancaster Turnpike was a toll road, the name was rumored to mean that travelers could gain free access to the highway here by giving a secret sign, made by a certain twisting of the hands.

But this was just wishful thinking by commuters. Hands Pass actually springs from the Revolutionary War exploits of General Edward Hand of Lancaster.

A century ago, the battle that gave Hand’s Pass its name was told in much more glowing terms than today. Those were the days when patriotic pride was more important than historical veracity. Skirmishes and minor exchanges sometimes took on the aspect of major battles and glorious victories in the accounts of history writers. Such was the case with Hand’s Pass.

It was during the darkest days of the Revolution. The American defeat on the Brandywine in September 1777 left Chester County open to the marauding British armies. According to the traditional account, General Hand and a small but brave contingent of Continentals were prowling around the North Valley Hills. They encountered a detachment of Hessians, the hated mercenary forces of the British Army. The Hessians had been out pillaging local farmers, but when they met with Hand, he drove them back and took possession of the strategically important pass.

The revised version is somewhat different. Actually, both the Hessians and Hand’s Continentals were out foraging from local farms – a practice both sides employed during the war. When the two groups of hungry soldiers met, it is unknown who retreated faster. Only Hand and his men returned to the gap and camped there. The Hessians didn’t. Thus it was accounted an American victory. No one was killed in the battle, or even wounded. Neither side fired a shot.

Hand went on to a later distinguished political career in Lancaster County. His mansion still stands south of Lancaster. The Hessians went on probably to fight for the British in other colonial wars or whatever conflicts their prince leased them out to.

The name Hand’s Pass stuck for the gap, however. At the pass or nearby, was a cave, called Indian Cave, which was rumored to be haunted in the late 1880s.

Earlier the cave had been the reputed hiding place of the notorious highwayman, Captain Fitz. James Fitzpatrick was a deserter from the Continental Army in 1778. He earned a reputation as a local Robin Hood, robbing the rich, sharing the spoils with the poor.

He was eventually caught and hanged, but Bayard Taylor immortalized Captain Fitz as Sandy Flash in The Story of Kennett, and his career is one of the most colorful incidents in Chester County history.

In the last century, The Pass School stood across the road from a famous spring of clear, cold water. The waters of the brook that ran down to the Brandywine from this spring refreshed generations of travelers, teamsters, school children, horses, and tramps that passed through Passtown. When Hayti first developed as a settlement of poor migrant workers, the spring was the sole source of water for the town.

Both the spring and Indian Cave disappeared under the expansion and relocation of Route 30 about 50 years ago.

1800s – The First African American Residents

Another article by Douglas Harper appeared that same day in the Daily Local Newspaper, West Chester, PA, December 28, 1986:

From Caribbean, Immigrants Settle In Chester County

In the approximate center of Valley Township, on Lincoln Highway, is the village of Hayti.

Hayti, pronounced hay-tie, is a busy, neat Coatesville suburb of about 1,000 people overlooking the Chester Valley. But Hayti has different roots than most Chester County villages. The first inhabitants of Hayti weren’t Scotch-Irish farmers or Quaker store and innkeepers. There were immigrant millworkers from the Caribbean.

Valley Township was born in 1852. It already had two iron works, and was near several more. The huge Brandywine Mills of Coatesville, later Lukens Steel, also had facilities in Valley. Most of Valley was farmland at this time, but the need for a permanent labor force for the mills soon changed the complexion of the township.

Work in the mills was backbreaking and dangerous, even by pre-labor law standards. Mill jobs were undesirable to men who could find work elsewhere. Employment at the mills was sporadic. When there was work, the mills ran night and day for weeks at a time. When orders dried up, they stood idle for whole summers, their employees out of work. From an early day, millwork devolved to immigrant workers.

According to tradition, sometime after the Civil War, a group of Haitians from the Caribbean island of Haiti, came to Chester County and worked in the steel mills near Coatesville. Perhaps they arrived one by one, perhaps they came as a group. Perhaps they were lured there by company recruiters.

A little row of houses was erected for them on a street off of Lincoln Highway. On 1883 maps, Hayti appears as an unnamed community of about 10 homes on the south side of Hayti Street, now Front Street.

Local residents identified the village by the nationality of the inhabitants, and the pronunciation and later the spelling and of Haiti changed to suit the local tongue.

Hayti was one of such company towns west of Coatesville in the age of steel. Rock Run, Cat Swamp, Siberia, Newlinville were names of others, many of which still stand. Mostly they were shabby patches of rowhomes, often without running water, rented by a series of poor tenants who stayed a few years and moved on.

The story about the Haitians is one that I’ve always heard, but historically I can’t confirm or deny it., said Eugene DiOrio, chairman of the Coatesville Historical Commission.

I know that Lukens did recruit around the country, especially at the time of the First World War, when of course, there was a great demand for steel. Whether they ever recruited outside the country, I’m not aware of it, DiOrio said. The Haitians were possibly in America already before moving to the Coatesville area

These things sometimes happened in the history of American immigration, DiOrio said. There are jillions of good stories of how people got here.

The story of the Haitians of Hayti is almost entirely forgotten. Details of their lives are difficult to glean today. Newspapers of the day rarely mentioned immigrants or blacks, except in accounts of horse thievery or revival meetings. But there are strong hints that these towns lived and died with the economy. When steel thrived, times were good. When work fell off, people fended for themselves.

A correspondent in a newspaper of the 1880’s reported on the changes brought to Rock Run by a run of prosperity: "Dilapidated houses and hungry-looking dogs met the eye at every turn. Now comfortable houses and well-clad children are the happy scenes that greet the eye.

In another news article, dated 1893, farmers in still-rural Valley Township reported being annoyed by petty pilfering of corn and grain, and by people who even broke into barns and milked the cows in their stalls.

As late as 1920, most of the homes of Hayti were still occupied by black families, but the Haitians had either died out or moved on. New development sprang up in the Hayti area in the prosperity of World War I.

Russell Hill, a development south of Hayti was nipped in the bud when Route 30 was relocated through the middle of it; Lincoln Heights, laid out in 1917, also faltered, but not before adding three new streets – Main, Lafayette, and George – to Hayti. Meadow Brook was laid out in 1918.

In the days when horses took the place of cars and trucks as the principal means of transportation, disposing of dead horses was an urban problem, just as junked cars are towed to scrap heaps today, dead horses, cows and other animals were dragged to the edge of Coatesville, and left to rot in a field just south of Hayti known as Horse Heaven.

Horse Heaven was a paradise for buzzards, crows, possums, and rats. It was also a source of income for small boys, who picked through the gruesome carcasses and gathered bones, which they sold for a few pennies to a nearby phosphate mill, the Charles E. Cook Bone Mill.

An even older name for the Hayti area, and one that is now almost forgotten is Rainbow. One of the first settlers there, even before the Lancaster Turnpike was laid through, called his plantation Rainbow Farm. Later the farmhouse became a tavern for the traffic on the turnpike.

This inn, and a newer one that replaced it around 1800 was called Rainbow Inn. The inn which later became a private home, was said to be haunted by the ghost of a man who was shot in a barroom brawl there a century or more ago.

Though the Rainbow Inn was already out of business by the turn of the century, when the Valley Township School Board built a new one room schoolhouse to handle the growing population of Hayti, they called the place Rainbow School.

Until 1957, under a de facto system of segregation, white children attended Rainbow School, while black students went to the Passtown (Pass) School. In 1957, Valley integrated its schools under orders from the State Department of Public Education.

In 1929, the old Rainbow School was sold and a new one opened, and some School Board members wanted to change the name to James A. Long School. The old Rainbow Inn had already passed from memory for some people.

But Rainbow survived the attempt, and Rainbow School remains one of the elementary schools in the Coatesville Area School District.

The Pass School has had a number of homes since it opened as a private academy in 1800. Its first home was in a log cabin, with a crude blackboard on one wall and a row of split logs for seats. Schooling grew more sophisticated over the years, but even as late as 1893, the Pass School had to stay closed one Monday because the teacher forgot to bring her key.

Through the 19th century, Coatesville children who lived west of the Brandywine attended the pass school in the shade of an ancient oak tree and beside a clear spring.

Although the above article suggests the possibility of Haitians living in Hayti, a lifelong resident, historian, and Road to Freedom Museum Curator, Mrs. Dorothy Barton Carter, refutes that possibility, saying, Haiti was a French Protectorate, and the Haitians spoke French. If Haitians were here, we would have known them and their descendants by their language. The residents of Hayti mostly came from the South. It is believed that the name Hayti was originally ascribed to an area as an identifier. The name Hayti signaled that the coloreds lived in that area. As shown on the Chester County Property Atlas Vol. 2, dated 1934, Front Street was identified as Hayti Road.

The 1934 Chester County Property Atlas, Volume 2, Plate 19, was produced by the Franklin Survey Company for real estate companies, banks, planning, etc.

The 1934 Chester County Property Atlas, Volume 2, Plate 19 map is provided courtesy of the Chester County History Center and Franklin Maps, with permission to include the map granted by Franklin Maps.

Chester County Property Atlas Vol. 2, dated 1934

Hayti Road – Mrs. Ella Barber Rudolph, who was born and raised on what is now Front Street, stated that when she was growing up, the streets were not named. They were simply included in RD #2. No one who lived in the community called Ella’s street, Hayti Road. In 1934 Mrs. Rudolph was 11 years old.

Also shown on the map is a plan for a future Lincoln Heights section (Main Street, Lafayette Street and George Street). Main Street, Lafayette Street and George Street were constructed and are part of the community, however, there is no Lincoln Heights section known to the residents of Hayti. One day when Ella and her sister were in the yard, a white man driving down the street, stopped and asked directions to Lincoln Heights. Neither she nor her sister had heard of or knew of a Lincoln Heights, and they directed him to the white neighborhood up the road, thinking that must be it.

It should be noted that the pictures in the newspaper articles above show structures and locations that are near Hayti, but not in Hayti (Checkered Bridge, Ukrainian Cemetery, Old Lincoln Highway, and Lincoln Highway between Strode Avenue and Church Street).

Additionally, it is widely known that during the 1800s, after the Civil War and the emancipation of slaves, African American settlements in the United States were often called Hayti or Little Haiti after the Island of Haiti. There is even the occasional historical document that addresses the Island of Haiti with the spelling Hayti.

There are African American communities throughout the United States with the same name – Hayti. There is a Hayti in Whitehall, Maryland, where the area’s original African American cemetery is located. There is a Hayti in Warrenton, Virginia. There is the Hayti African Union Church Cemetery in Marple Township, Delaware County, Pennsylvania. There was a Hayti in Durham, North Carolina, where there were banks, stores, hotels, and businesses owned by African American residents. The Durham Hayti community was self-sufficient during the era of segregation, when blacks were not permitted to stay in hotels or shop or bank with dignity. Sadly, the Durham, North Carolina Hayti was bulldozed during the 1960s to make way for the interstate highway and urban renewal. The Durham community has established a Museum in remembrance of their Hayti.

As with the North Carolina Hayti, what makes the Coatesville, Pennsylvania Hayti unique is that the majority of the Coatesville Hayti African American residents historically have been property owners.

African American property ownership in Coatesville’s Hayti dates back to around the 1880s to who may have been the first African American property owner in all of Valley Township, Mr. J. Curry. Now, over one hundred years later, the Curry family still resides on a portion of J. Curry’s original property on what is now Church Street.

As shown on the map below, J. Curry’s original property ownership was significant for an African American in the 1800s. The J Curry may indicate James W. Curry.

Valley Township, Breou’s 1883 Chester County, Pennsylvania Farm Atlas. Publisher: Philadelphia: W. H. Kirk & Co. 1883.

The enlargement below shows J. Curry’s property which appears to include portions of what is now Church Street, Front Street and Highland Avenue.

We, here in Coatesville, Pennsylvania, are blessed that our Hayti history is a living history, and it continues to thrive. Many of the families in this Hayti community have been neighbors for almost one hundred years.

WHERE IS HAYTI?

The approximate boundaries of Hayti:

The eastern boundary is approximately Main Street, including several houses east of Main Street, south of Lincoln Highway, and across Route 30, north of Lincoln Highway. The western boundary is Rainbow Road. The southern boundary is George Street. The northern boundary historically (the 1800s until the 1940s) was Lincoln Highway. In the 1940s and 1950s homes were built in Hayti north of Lincoln Highway on what was previously farmland. The new homes’ location was identified as cross the highway. As more homes were built across the highway in the 1960s, the area became known as Quiet Village. Quiet Village is included in and is a part of Hayti.

The approximate boundaries of Quiet Village are:

The eastern boundary is approximately 3rd Avenue including several houses eastward on W. Chestnut Street. The western boundary is approximately 1st Avenue. The southern boundary is Lincoln Highway. The northern boundary is N. Walnut Street.

1900s - 1920s: Coming to Coatesville - The Great Migration

The early 1900s was a time of African American migration to Coatesville, Pennsylvania from the southern states. Most came for employment opportunities. The major employer at the time was the Lukens Steel Company. Lukens would send trains to the southern states to recruit workers and carry them to Coatesville to work in the steel mill. Other employers in the area were wealthy white farmers/landowners, such as Jesse Shallcross. Some African Americans migrated to Coatesville to work for themselves as entrepreneurs.

Although Coatesville is in a Northern State, segregation was experienced in Coatesville schools, restaurants, and theaters. African Americans were often treated less than kindly. As is stated on the Durham, North Carolina Hayti website, "In the days of segregation,