The Highland United Presbyterian Church in New Castle, Pennsylvania, was organized as the “Free Presbyterian Church of New Castle” on February 15, 1851. It emerged from a religious protest against slavery, specifically opposing the decision by the Presbyterian Assembly in 1845 that slaveholding should not bar communion. The church was linked with the Presbytery of Mahoning and the Synod of Cincinnati and had strong anti-slavery principles, reflecting the broader abolitionist sentiment of the time.