Swedesboro, New Jersey’s Trinity Episcopal Church’s current building was constructed in 1784, replacing an earlier log church that was damaged during the Revolutionary War. Its minister, Reverend Nicholas Collin, kept a journal detailing the war’s impact on the church and the town, including his own capture by militia.
Across the cemetery from the church is the historic Schorn Log Cabin, built circa 1700 by by Morton Mortenson, a Swedish-Finnish man who arrived in the Delaware Valley in 1654. His great-grandson, John Morton, would go on to sign the Declaration of Independence as a Pennsylvania delegate. The cabin consists of one small room with no windows and a single door. Its walls are made of cedar logs.
The cabin was later owned by the Van Leer family, who were prominent in the anti-slavery cause. Prior to and during the Civil War, they used the log cabin as a station for the Underground Railroad to help slaves escape to free communities. The Van Leers also built nearby villages for freed slaves and financially supported the Underground Railroad.
Records show that the cabin was a trading post for Native Americans as well.
I went to see a historic church and found, just yards away, a small miracle.
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