Mariah Gates Patterson

Photograph of Mariah Gates Patterson. Courtesy of “Mariah Gates Patterson.” Abolition in Montgomery County.

In 1842, Mariah Gates Patterson, a former enslaved person, settled in Crawfordsville after enduring a journey from Kentucky to Indiana with her former owner Thomas Fry I, who relocated his family to Montgomery County, Indiana, to avoid tension in Mercer/Boyle County and find a good education for his sons at Wabash College. In 1847, Patterson founded the historic Bethel AME Church, located on West North Street, Crawfordsville, Indiana. Aside from teaching Sunday school at the Bethel AME, Patterson participated in the Underground Railroad, as she worked closely with John Speed to ensure the protection of enslaved people. In 1929, Mariah Gates Patterson passed away, leaving a legacy in the Montgomery County/Crawfordsville community by founding and serving her community through the Bethel AME Church, and assisting local conductors in the Underground Railroad.