Wolcott in Wayne County, New York — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
Samuel Ward and Antoinette Brown
Photographed by Susan A. Dalaba, August 29, 2024
1. Samuel Ward and Antoinette Brown Marker
I pray that my people may be saved from hatred and made forgiving; and for the whites of America, my highest wish is that they may all become like the people of South Butler.
On July 4, 1853, Antoinette Brown (1825 - 1921) spoke in South Butler and was invited to become the minister at the Congregational Church. She was ordained September 15, 1853, making her the first female minister in the United States.
I have accepted a call to the Congregational Church in South Butler. It is a poor and small church. It is what I want, although it rolls upon the spirit a burden of deep responsibility.
Erected 2022 by Butler Historical Preservation Society.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Religion & Religious Structures • Women. A significant historical year for this entry is 1817.
Location. 43° 9.615′ N, 76° 46.533′ W. Marker is in Wolcott, New York, in Wayne County. It is at the intersection of New York 89 and Butler Center Road, on the right when traveling north
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Regionally, this marker is in Upstate New York, specifically in Western New York, in the Finger Lakes, and in the Rochester Metropolitan Area. It is also in the American Northeast, on the Great Lakes, and in the Mid-Atlantic. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region, North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy, New Netherland, and one of the original Thirteen Colonies.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 5 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Sarah Mills (approx. Ό mile away); First Zion Society of the Methodist Episcopal Church (approx. 0.6 miles away); Butler Veterans Memorial (approx. Ύ mile away); Town of Butler (approx. Ύ mile away); Roe Cobblestone Schoolhouse (approx. 2.3 miles away); Northup Park (approx. 4.6 miles away); Wolcott Falls (approx. 4.6 miles away); In Memory, World Wars 1 - 2 (approx. 4.6 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Wolcott.
Photographed by Susan A. Dalaba, August 29, 2024
2. Samuel Ward and Antionette Brown marker and mural
Photographed by Susan A. Dalaba, August 29, 2024
3. Samuel Ward and Antoinette Brown mural
Credits. This page was last revised on April 18, 2025. It was originally submitted on April 11, 2025, by Susan A. Dalaba of Cortland, New York. This page has been viewed 134 times since then and 10 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on April 11, 2025, by Susan A. Dalaba of Cortland, New York. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.
