John Gloucester - 1776-1822 - 1C-84 - Tusculum, TN - Tennessee Historical Markers on Waymarking.com

Unveiled on Feb 16, 2002 ( per the Tusculum College magazine ), the marker documents the college's link to the first African-American student at Greeneville College and first African-American Presbyterian clergyman ordained in the United States.

Marker Text:
John Gloucester - 1776-1822
Gideon Blackburn, a Presbyterian minister, purchased and sought to free a slave named Jack. Through Blackburn's tenacity and by action of the Blount County Court, he received his freedom and the name John Gloucester in 1807. Educated at Greeneville (Tusculum) College, Gloucester became a Presbyterian missionary in 1809. Dr. Benjamin Rush, a Philadephia physician and Gloucester's friend, assisted in freeing his wife and children. The first African-American ordained as a Presbyterian minister, Gloucester became a respected pastor and teacher in Philadephia. His four sons became Presbyterian ministers.

Marker Name: John Gloucester - 1776-1822 Marker Location: Roadside Type of Marker: Person Marker Number: 1C-84 Group(s) Responsible for placing Marker: Tennessee Historical Commission

Visit Instructions:
At minimum, your visit must consist of a picture of the marker itself or anything referenced on the marker plus additional information you may have learned about the waymark topic. (You and your GPS receiver do not need to be in the picture, but can.)

Recent Visits/Logs:

Date Logged Log User Rating   11/21/2022 Don.Morfe visited it