High up on picturesque Buckingham Mountain is Mount Gilead Church, a quaint, beautiful little church that serves the same purpose that it did over 150 years ago.  The tranquil serenity and simplicity continues to draw many people together for a meaningful bonding several times a year.  The three scheduled occasions are the Easter Sunrise service, the Memorial service, held the Sunday prior to Memorial Day and the fall worship service held in September or October. 

Mt. Gilead Church contributes richly to the history of the county.  Close by is a cemetery where slaves are buried.  This tiny plot of ground with many tombstones and unmarked graves has survived.  Moses Hopkins, one of the slaves buried in the cemetery, was laid to rest in 1886.  Today, his great grandson, William Hopkins is the loyal and dedicated caretaker of this tiny cemetery and the historical church.  William Hopkins is one of the last descendants who still live in the community.

The church served as a stopping point for fugitive slaves as they made their way to freedom in Canada via the Underground Railroad.  Before the Civil War, Bucks County was a hideout for slaves fleeing north from bondage.  Mt. Gilead church, the caves of Buckingham Mountain, the cellars of old farmhouses, and the people of Bucks County played an important role in the fabled “Underground Railroad” of the 1800’s.

Benjamin Jones with four other slaves who were about to be sold to the Southern slave market, started on a northern journey on the Underground Railroad.  After many hardships, they succeeded in reaching Buckingham Mountain.  Here they worked for about 11 years.  Ben was chopping wood one day near Forestville (now known as Forest Grove) when his former master saw him and tried to capture him.  Ben was overpowered and wounded.  Returned to Baltimore, he was placed in a slave pen awaiting sale.  George Chapman and Jonathan Bonham, Bucks County citizens were sent to Baltimore to pay his “ransom.”   Ben returned to Bucks County a freedman.

During the period, 1835 to 1880, the Buckingham Mountain African American population was strong enough to build and maintain a small church of their own.  The original church was built of logs between 1835-36 and rebuilt of stone in 1852.  This is the church building now standing on the western side of Buckingham Mountain.  During the 1800’s the mountain was dotted with many log cabins inhabited by African American families.  Early residents can recall how, at the turn of the century, resident would make their way up the hill at night carrying lanterns to the regular “camp meeting.”