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PAUL F WESLEY
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PAUL F WESLEY
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PAUL F WESLEY
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PAUL F WESLEY
By Diana Cercone
History isn’t a straight line. Nor should it tell only one story. For history is a vibrant patchwork of stories woven together by many diverse voices. But only if you take the time to listen. And Shirley Lee Corsey hopes that you do. For telling some of the stories of Yardley’s rich history—the good, the bad, the hopes and triumphs of its early residents—is a mission of Shirley’s, a third generation Yardley resident and founder and conservator of the Gather Place Museum, a non-profit PA state organization, headquartered in the historic A.M.E. (African Methodist Episcopalian) church in the small swath of the historic district of Yardley known simply as the Boatyard on South Canal Street.
Shirley lives in the house she grew up in. Her parents, Horace and Jean H. Lee, bought the 1928-built home in the early 1950s, just across the street from Shirley’s maternal grandmother Sarah Coney and her husband Jerimiah Coney’s home. Her grandparents purchased their house in the early 1900s. Like many of the African-Americans at the time living in Trenton, they crossed the Delaware and settled on S. Canal Street.
While renovating her family home, Shirley couldn’t help but notice the once bedrock of the community, the A.M.E. Church, across the street. The original church, built in 1817 in an old hay barn by the African-Americans who had crossed from Trenton at that time had named it The Colored Church. In 1877, it was renamed the A.M.E. Church and moved into the Victorian board and batten style building on S. Canal Street. Abandoned for 10 years, it was not only empty and neglected but also in need of a major rebirth.
And that’s when Shirley had her epiphany.
A born storyteller in the West African Griot tradition, Shirley envisioned the old church, once she had renovated it, as a place to tell the stories of the African-Americans of Yardley. And, not just African-Americans, but all who lived there: the early Quakers who fought against slavery, community leaders who marched for Women’s Rights, those who fought in the Civil War and so much more. And that’s exactly what the Gather Place is today.
I recently sat down with Shirley, a full-throttled engine of passion in preserving history while also bringing it to life. This she does through the archival photographs and memorabilia that grace the walls and tables of the museum, telling the stories of this working-class and proud community. And she does this through her first-person enactments, programs, tours and special events held throughout the year.
Once the idea of converting the old A.M.E. church into a museum took hold, she says, she went into over-drive, researching the credentials needed. After obtaining all the necessary legal paperwork, Shirley says, she knew she needed a name that would define it. “I wanted a name that would honor the church’s history and its role as the home of my organization,” she says. “When I stumbled upon a 1958 photograph featuring a gathering of people at the church, including my own family members, the name “Gather Place” was born. (A blow-up of this photo is prominently displayed in the museum).
The name Gather Place, she says, serves as a fitting homage to those who gathered in the past. And to those who will continue to gather here to learn of its rich history and to build on its future.
After that Shirley concentrated on the building’s restoration, beginning with its seven damaged cathedra-style windows. For this, even before all the mounds of almost 20 years’ worth of dirt, debris and cobwebs had been swept away, Shirley says, she invited State Sen. Steven Santarsiero to visit.
He immediately embraced not only what the Gather Place would do for the community, she says, but also with what it would mean for all of Bucks Countians and those visiting the area. Santarsiero lost no time in helping to secure a $50,000 PA state grant for the Gather Place. It was awarded to the museum last December.
And Shirley lost no time in putting the grant to good use. After tackling the repairing, repainting and reglazing of the original windows, she judiciously used the remaining monies to repair and replace the roof as well as repair and repaint the Victorian board & batten wood siding.
And still there’s more to be done, she says.
The next major fund-raising project is the restoration of the church’s original facade and vestibule. The project would not only relocate the outdated 1968 restroom obstructing it to the rear of the building and modernizing it, but it would also provide for the addition of a versatile workplace and kitchenette which would enhance events in the historic assembly area.
Then there are the on-going projects, such as the addition of commemorative bricks and plantings to the Reflective Garden. And, always, the addition of more tours and programs.
One of the most popular is Shirley’s portrayal of Harriet Tubman. More recently, Shirley added her first-person portrayal of Susanna Warder, a slave who lived and worked at Pennsbury Mansion for William Penn and his family. (For a complete listening of programs, visit www.GatherPlace.org).
With every step, Shirley says, she also had the help from her brother Michael Lee and his wife, Marlene, an artist, who helped design the Gather Place logo as well as the Reflecting Garden artwork. Together the three are fondly called “the Dream Team.”
“I love history,” Shirley says, “All history. I’m an African American woman and the first African American woman to own and operate an American history museum, the Gather Place, in Bucks County. But I’m not pinning myself into a slot. This is an American history museum and it tells the stories of working Americans. It’s a little slice of America that is very diverse.”
The Gather Place is located at 188 South Canal Street, Yardley, PA. To reach the Gather Place, call 215-595-2722 or email info@gatherplace.org. For more information, visit www.gatherplace.org.
Diana Cercone is an area freelance writer who specializes in food, art and travel