Amanda Berry Smith
Shrewsbury, York County, Pennsylvania
Marker Inscription
A renowned evangelist and singer, born a slave in Maryland. Her father bought the family's freedom, and they moved to a farm near here. While still a child she was converted at this church. She committed her life to missionary work and traveled in the U.S. and to Britain, India, and Africa. Published a monthly paper, "The Helper." Founder and superintendent, Industrial Home for Colored Children in Illinois.
Erected by Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission
The Story
Born into slavery in Maryland, Amanda Berry Smith gained her freedom when her father purchased the family, who then settled on a farm near Shrewsbury, where she was converted as a child at this church. She became a renowned evangelist and singer whose missionary travels carried her across the United States and on to Britain, India, and Africa. She published a newspaper and founded an industrial home for Black children in Illinois.
Why it matters
Smith's journey from enslavement to an international evangelical ministry made her one of the most widely traveled Black women of her age and a builder of institutions for children in need.
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