'Grandfather of Gospel': Eastern Shore birthplace to commemorate the Rev. Charles Tindley

Nearly 200 years ago, the child who would grow up to be known as the “Grandfather of Gospel” and “Prince of Preachers” once called the quaint, small town of Berlin, Maryland, home.

Born in 1851, during a time when slavery was commonly practiced, the Rev. Charles Albert Tindley faced impossible odds.

Born to Charles Tindley, a slave, and Hester Miller Tindley, a free woman, he was denied a proper education. He became an orphan as a toddler, when he lost his mother and became separated from his father. Longing for schooling, Tindley took it upon himself to learn how to read and write, a skill that would, ultimately, change his life in his rise within the church.

Today, Berlin has captured the historic charm of its downtown buildings and draws nearby beach tourists to a day of shopping and exploring the arts. But a gap in its historic recognition exists. Now the town looks to honor the accomplishments of African American people including Tindley.

'We Shall Overcome'

Tindley married Daisy Henry and moved to Philadelphia at the age of 17.

There, he worked as a sexton in the Calvary Methodist Episcopal Church, a job that granted him access to the minister’s books. Determined to further his education, he began to study books and take night classes, later earning a doctor of divinity degree and becoming the pastor in 1902 of the aforementioned church, where he was once employed as a janitor.

Over the years, Tindley was stationed at churches in Pocomoke City and Fairmount in Maryland; Odessa and Wilmington in Delaware; and Cape May, New Jersey.

The Methodist Episcopal minister became immortalized by the city of Philadelphia in 1924 when his place of worship was renamed the Tindley Temple United Methodist Church, against his wishes.

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Parishioners were drawn to Tindley's powerful sermons and at the time of his death, in 1933, the church membership had reached well over 10,000. His congregation became one of the largest Methodist churches in the United States in the early 1900s.

Preaching was not Tindley's sole passion. He was also a lyricist and dedicated much of his time to composing powerful gospel music.

Among some of his most popular songs are “Nothing between,” "What Are They Doing in Heaven?", “Leave It There” and “I Know the Lord Will Make a Way.” One hymn, “I’ll Overcome Some Day,” written in 1901, became the basis for the song titled, “We Shall Overcome,” the anthem of the civil rights movement. Today, the song remains one of the most revered and cherished songs in American history.

In 1905, according to The Washington Post, he published some of the oldest and greatest songs of the Black gospel music tradition: "Stand By Me," "The Storm Is Passing Over" and "We'll Understand It Better By and By."

Calvin B. Taylor House Museum exhibit

Now, Berlin is honoring Tindley for his legacy.

The Calvin B. Taylor House Museum, located at 208 Main St., has officially unveiled a new exhibit centered around the prolific minister.

“We created what we call a community committee and invited people in the community to help us put this exhibit together,” said Melissa Reid, president of the museum. “We had so many voices that made this so much more dynamic than it otherwise would have been.”

The exhibit features unique audio and visual components, the first being a short film created by Bryan Russo, a local singer/songwriter and former journalist; and, the second, audio clips of Tindley’s hymns and sermons narrated by Gregory Purnell, a local historian.

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Clara Small, a former history professor at Salisbury University, also contributed her knowledge of Tindley to the museum.

“Take the time to visit the museum and learn as much as you can about individuals such as Rev. Tindley,” Small said. “In many instances, people believe that African American history and American history are totally separate — they’re not, they’re not.”

“What we need to do is open our hearts and our minds, think critically and analytically, and look at this shared history that we have. I think people would come to appreciate each other more. We can always learn from each other,” said Small.

Creating a mural on Commerce Street

Tindley’s image will also soon grace downtown Berlin.

The life-like mural of Tindley, approved by Berlin’s Historic District Commission, will include text from his hymns, as well as his name, the year he was born and his famous monikers, “Grandfather of Gospel” and “Prince of Preachers”. The art will be created on Commerce Street on the wall of Bruder Hill.

Passersby can scan a QR code, taking them to the Beach to Bay Heritage website to learn more about Tindley and his life story, along with other African American heritage projects on Maryland's lower Eastern Shore.

Jay F. Coleman, a muralist, painter and sculptor based out of Washington, D.C., will work on the project. According to his website, he specializes in realistic and arbitrary color murals. Lisa Challenger, executive director of Beach to Bay Heritage Area and project manager for the mural, said Coleman is expected to begin painting in May or early June.

Challenger believes this project is long overdue.

“We need to do a better job at remembering him and honoring him,” Challenger said. “Philadelphia has embraced Tindley as theirs, but we felt that it was time to recognize that he is from here.”

Olivia Minzola covers communities on the Lower Shore. Contact her with tips and story ideas at ominzola@delmarvanow.com.

This article originally appeared on Salisbury Daily Times: A gospel music great, the Rev. Charles Tindley is a Maryland native