Plymouth Church of the Pilgrims located at 57 Orange Street between Henry and Hicks Streets in the Brooklyn Heights neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York City was built in 1849–50 and was designed by Joseph C. Wells. It is an example of 19th century urban tabernacle architecture
It has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1961, and has been a National Historic Landmark since 1966. It is part of the Brooklyn Heights Historic District, created by the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission in 1965.
Under the leadership of its first minister, Henry Ward Beecher, it became the foremost center of anti-slavery sentiment in the mid-19th century. His sister was Harriet Beecher Stowe, noted today as the author of the anti-slavery novel Uncle Tom’s Cabin (1852) that “helped lay the groundwork for the Civil War.
The church itself became an important station on the Underground Railroad through which slaves from the South were secretly transported to Canada. Locally known as “the Grand Central Depot,” slaves were hidden in the tunnel-like basement beneath the church sanctuary.
One recurring event that garnered considerable public attention was Beecher’s mock slave auctions. Beecher would bring slaves into the sanctuary, auction them off to the highest bidder, and then set them free. The most famous case involved “Pinky“, a 9-year-old slave girl who had escaped from Alabama. On February 5, 1860, in front of a crowd of 3000, Mr. Beecher started the bidding and a collection plate was passed around the congregation. When the plate with $900 and a golden ring reached the pulpit, Beecher picked up the ring and placed it on the finger of Pinky, exclaiming, “Remember, with this ring I do wed thee to freedom.” Sixty-seven years later, Pinky returned to Plymouth, now a well-educated woman, named Mrs. Rose Ward Hunt, and returned the ring Beecher had given to her.
The church offered Abraham Lincoln $200 to come to Brooklyn and giving a lecture to the congregation. Lincoln accepted the invitation, traveled to Brooklyn and participated in the church service on Sunday, February 26 1859. Today a plaque marks the pew where Lincoln attended the service. Because of high demand, Lincoln’s address was moved to Cooper Union, where a 25 cents admission fee was charged. Lincoln gave his famous anti-slavery speech before a capacity crowd of 1,500 on February 27, 1860, more than eight months before he was elected President.