Palabala is a village in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.[1] It is mentioned in The River Congo from its mouth to Bólobó; with a general description of the natural history and anthropology of its western basin (1895) by Sir Harry Hamilton Johnston. It was a stop on the Compagnie du Chemin de Fer du Congo railway. Several American missionaries served there.
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/54/Le_chemin_de_fer_du_Congo_%28Matadi-Stanley-Pool%29_%281907%29_%2814574380580%29.jpg/220px-Le_chemin_de_fer_du_Congo_%28Matadi-Stanley-Pool%29_%281907%29_%2814574380580%29.jpg)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/10/Le_chemin_de_fer_du_Congo_%28Matadi-Stanley-Pool%29_%281907%29_%2814757903701%29.jpg/220px-Le_chemin_de_fer_du_Congo_%28Matadi-Stanley-Pool%29_%281907%29_%2814757903701%29.jpg)
According to Johnston it is south of Vivi and near the Lualaba River. He described it as "on the crest of a great hill, 1600 feet high" and described a missionary presence with inhabitants greeting him with "morning".
Many Baptist missionaries were stationed there in the late 19th century.[2]
A plaque in the area commemorates the railway connecting Matadi to Stanley-Pool.[3] An orphan named "Quangu" from Palabala was given the name Estey Carolina and was sent so Estey Seminary in the United States.[4] Missionary Ezra Cole Boone died in Palabala.[5]
References
edit- ^ "Palabala, Congo, Democratic Republic of the - Geographical Names, map, geographic coordinates". geographic.org.
- ^ "Baptist Missionary Magazine". American Baptist Missionary Union. February 13, 1890 – via Google Books.
- ^ "Kongo Central province (Democratic Republic of the Congo), plaque at Palabala commemorating the railway". collections.lib.uwm.edu.
- ^ "The Baptist Home Mission Monthly". American Baptist Home Mission Society. February 13, 1889 – via Google Books.
- ^ "The Baptist Missionary Magazine". American Baptist Missionary Union. February 13, 1903 – via Google Books.