HistoricSiteMarkers
Reconstruction & Gilded Age

Philip P. Bliss

Huston Township, Clearfield County, Pennsylvania

Marker Inscription

The great singing evangelist and gospel song writer was born July 9, 1838, in a log house which stood a little distance from here. He lived and worked on the farm and in nearby lumber camps until the age of 16.

Erected by Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission

The Story

Philip P. Bliss was born in a log house near this spot in 1838 and grew up working the family farm and the region's lumber camps until he was sixteen. He went on to become one of the most beloved gospel songwriters and singing evangelists of the nineteenth century, his hymns carried into churches and revival meetings across the country. His life traced the arc from a rough Pennsylvania frontier boyhood to national renown.

Why it matters

Bliss helped shape the sound of American gospel music, a cultural force that reached millions during the revival movements of the Gilded Age.

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Related people

  • · Philip P. Bliss

Themes & tags

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Nearby & related markers

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Rev. A. W. Tozer (1897-1963)

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