Review of Chapter 4 - John Mason & Sarah Paine Peck

One of the individuals that John Mason Peck mentored in St. Louis was John Berry Meachum (1789-1854), an African free man. "Meachum was an energetic and deeply spiritual man with a dynamic personality. His preaching and teaching drew hundreds of people to the Sunday school and worship services." He and his wife conducted a school in the church for slaves. He was also involved in the Underground Railroad. "Meachum constructed a large steamboat in 1835, outfitted it with classrooms and furnished it with a library, and made it into a temperance boat. Those who were unable to pay tuition (which were many) were granted free scholarships. Then he apparently anchored it in the middle of the Mississippi out of reach of Missouri authorities and used the school to train the freedmen and slaves to develop a trade as carpenter or cooper."

Quotes are from Chapter 4 in our forthcoming book - John Mason and Sarah Paine Peck: Missionaries Extraordinaire, by Myron Dillow.

Picture: John Berry Meachum