Members of the Associate Reformed Presbyterian
Church settled in Adams County as early as 1797.
The West Union congregation was organized in 1812,
and a lot was purchased for the construction of a
public house of worship. This brick church, erected
circa 1835, was used until 1895 when the congregation
united with the Presbyterian Church. Under the
leadership of Reverend Graham, many members of
the congregation were actively involved in the
Underground Railroad.
John Graham (1798-1849), pastor of the West
Union Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church
from 1841-1849, erected the house he called
Pleasant Hill in 1842. An outspoken abolitionist
who preached against the evils of slavery, Graham
used his house as a station on the Underground
Railroad. "Black Joe" Logan, an escaped slave who
lived nearby, conducted runaways from Pleasant
Hill to stations north. Reverend Graham died of
Asiatic cholera in 1849 and is buried in the old
West Union South Cemetery.
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