Elisha McCurdy
Hanover Township, Washington County, Pennsylvania
Marker Inscription
The great Presbyterian revivalist is buried here where he served as pastor 46 years. At Cross Roads and Upper Buffalo he led, in Nov., 1802, the Great Revival meetings attended by many thousands from near and far.
Erected by Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission
The Story
Elisha McCurdy was a leading Presbyterian revivalist of the frontier, serving this congregation for forty-six years and lying buried where he preached. In November 1802 he helped lead the great camp-meeting revivals at Cross Roads and Upper Buffalo, drawing thousands from far and near. These gatherings were part of the sweeping religious awakening that swept the western settlements in the early republic.
Why it matters
It anchors the Second Great Awakening on the Pennsylvania frontier, when open-air revivals shaped the moral and communal life of a scattered pioneer society.
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Related people
- · Elisha McCurdy
Related events
- · Great Revival of 1802
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
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Fresh from winning independence, George Washington rode west in 1784 to inspect and secure his sizable landholdings, including a 2,613-acre tract in Washington County. Near this spot, at David Reed's home, he met on September 20 with thirteen Covenanter squatters living on that land. When the two sides could not agree on terms of purchase, Washington took the settlers to court in Washington to eject them—and eventually prevailed.
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