ANDREW LONGACRE
June 12, 1831 - February 18, 1906
INTRODUCTION TO OUR PROJECT
The Woodlands Cemetery Project is the research project that AP U.S. History students at Julia Reynolds Masterman Laboratory and Demonstration High School are required to complete. The aim of this assignment is twofold: to unearth new information on prominent Americans alive during the Gilded Age who are now buried at the Woodlands Cemetery in Philadelphia, and to instill useful research skills in students. The Woodlands has graciously helped with research into the deceased in order to share the newly discovered knowledge with surviving family and others interested in history. The project is broken down into several main components: the Introduction, the Biography, the Historical Timeline and the Documents. The Introduction serves to introduce the subject matter to the reader. The Biography constitutes the main focus of the paper, delving deep into the life of the figure being researched. The Historical Timeline further fleshes out the wider world during the person’s life, providing context to the rest of the project. Finally, the Documents show where information has been derived from, and provide a bedrock for any further research or investigation. All in all, this project is a wonderful opportunity to learn microhistory!
ABOUT REVEREND A. LONGACRE
Andrew Longacre was an influential Methodist minister who lived from June 12, 1831 to February 18, 1906. He was born in Philadelphia to a Swedish family with very deep roots in America. Andrew’s father, James B. Longacre, was a renowned artist and worked as the Chief Engraver at the U.S. Mint for 25 years. His sisters were recognized artists, and brothers fought for the Union in the American Civil War. For most of his life, Andrew was a sickly man plagued by recurring illness. Even so, this did not stop him from travelling far and wide to spread the gospel to all who would listen. During the Civil War, Andrew lived in Paris, running a church and helping to keep the European powers from supporting the Confederacy. He also toured the Old World, visiting the cultural meccas of Berlin and Venice, as well as the religious sites of Jerusalem and Istanbul. Upon his return home to Philadelphia, he wished nothing more than to continue preaching to the common folk of America. He then moved from church to church, city to city over the next three and a half decades; from Philadelphia to Baltimore, then onto Newburgh and New York. He was a fantastic orator and a natural crowd pleaser, considered to be one of the most popular Methodist preachers of his day. The end finally came in February of 1906 when heart disease, likely stemming from his lifetime of poor health, brought the book of his life to a close.
