Program

NYS Historic

Subject

Event, People, Religion

Location

1807 Mill Road, West Falls, NY

Lat/Long

42.724327, -78.665773

Grant Recipient

Buffalo and Erie County Historical Society

In 1810, the West Aurora Church was established in the hamlet of Griffins Mills, in the town of Aurora, in Erie County, New York. According to church records, some of the earliest members of the church included Clement King, Mary King, and Betsey Henshaw. In 1832, the West Aurora Church building was dedicated by the congregation.

On October 1, 1868, abolitionist Sojourner Truth spoke at the West Aurora Church. A formerly enslaved woman, renowned for her skills as an orator, Truth dedicated her life to advocating for the abolition of slavery and equal rights. According to an account included in the Book of Life by Frances W. Titus, published in 1875 in combination with the Narrative of Sojourner Truth written by Olive Gilbert, Truth’s address at the West Aurora Church was attended by a “good and attentive audience.” The account also noted that during the address, Rev. Richard M. Sandford took up a collection in support of Truth’s abolitionist cause.

In 1907, the West Aurora Church became the Griffins Mills Presbyterian Church and continues to serve as a place of worship in the community of Griffins Mills.