Founded in 1876 as Jefferson Methodist Episcopal Church, New Revived United Methodist Church was one of five African American congregations established in this vicinity between 1864 and 1880. These churches grew from faith communities that had thrived long before emancipation. Connected by rugged logging roads and well worn footpaths, free and enslaved families and their associates met to share meals, prayers, and limited socializing. Harriet Tubman’s life reflected these close community ties: her enslaved brother William Henry married Harriet Ann Parker, a free woman who lived nearby with her parents and siblings. During the Christmas holiday of 1854, William Henry escaped to St. Catherine’s, Canada, and soon afterward his wife and their two sons followed. Harriet Tubman, who had fled slavery five years earlier, secretly arranged and guided their journeys north along the Underground Railroad, saying, "'Twant me, 'twas the Lord. I always told Him, 'I trust to you. I don't know where to go or what to do, but I expect you to lead me,' and He always did."