A group of volunteers from the Friends of African Union Church of South Coventry are working on preserving a part of local history, writes Evan Brandt for The Pottstown Mercury.

The volunteer organization was founded nine years ago with the help of Dick Flickinger, a former Owen J. Roberts School District superintendent, and his three sons: Bruce, Todd, and Daniel.

“A lot of what we’re doing is trying to find out more about the site and the people who built it,” said Bruce.

While African-American history is often hard to research, Daniel uncovered some at the Pennsylvania Abolition Society in Philadelphia. This included the capture of three French slave ships by an American ship in 1800.

The ship’s commander, John Mullowney, brought the ships, along with more than 100 captured Africans, to a prize court in Philadelphia with the hope that they would be set free, which they were.

Then, two people from the ship, Joseph and Faltimir Ganges, and their family were instrumental in founding the African Union Church of South Coventry.

The nonprofit will hold a presentation on the site’s history on April 10 at the South Coventry Township Building.

Read more about the African Union Church of South Coventry in The Pottstown Mercury here.