DOVER — To celebrate Black History Month, The Friends of Old Dover (The Historical Society of Dover) are sponsoring an exhibit “The Life and Legacy of Bishop Richard Allen.”

The exhibit will be at the Dover Public Library, opening Feb. 4 and available through the end of the month. It will showcase aspects of Bishop Allen’s life including his birth into slavery, his early life and marriage, his life as a minister, the formation of the AME Church, and his work on the Underground Railroad.

Bishop Allen, minister, writer and influential Black leader, was born a slave in Delaware until he was able to gain his own freedom. He was converted to the Methodist faith by Freeborn Garrettson.

A member of the Underground Railroad, Bishop Allen went on to establish the African Methodist Episcopal Church and is credited with being the first African American bishop in the United States.

The public is invited to visit this limited exhibit at the library and learn more about this incredible pioneer of abolition.

To find out more about this event or other events by the Friends of Old Dover, visit friendsofolddover.org or facebook.com/friendsofolddover.