Remnants of Black church uncovered in Colonial Williamsburg
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Thursday, October 7, 2021 • • General
WILLIAMSBURG, Va. (AP) — The brick foundation of one of the nation's oldest Black churches has been unearthed at Colonial Williamsburg, a living history museum in Virginia that continues to reckon with its past storytelling about the country's origins and the role of Black Americans.
The First Baptist Church was formed in 1776 by free and enslaved Black people. They initially met secretly in fields and under trees in defiance of laws that prevented African Americans from congregating.
By 1818, the church had its first building in the former colonial capital. The 16-foot by 20-foot (5-meter by 6-meter) structure was destroyed by a tornado in 1834.
WILLIAMSBURG, Va. (AP) — The brick foundation of one of the nation's oldest Black churches has been unearthed at Colonial Williamsburg, a living history museum in Virginia that continues to reckon with its past storytelling about the country's origins and the role of Black Americans.
The First Baptist Church was formed in 1776 by free and enslaved Black people. They initially met secretly in fields and under trees in defiance of laws that prevented African Americans from congregating.
By 1818, the church had its first building in the former colonial capital. The 16-foot by 20-foot (5-meter by 6-meter) structure was destroyed by a tornado in 1834.
First Baptist's second structure, built in 1856, stood there for a century. But an expanding Colonial Williamsburg bought the property in 1956 and turned it into a parking lot.
First Baptist Pastor Reginald F. Davis, whose church now stands elsewhere in Williamsburg, said the uncovering of the church's first home is "a rediscovery of the humanity of a people."
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Thursday, May 1, 2025 • • General
Historic Charleston Foundation (HCF) is proud to announce a generous $1.25 million grant from the Mellon Foundation to complete the rehabilitation of the historic Pine Tree Hotel and adjacent Skeeta Beach Lounge for the newly formed Historical Mosquito Beach Foundation.
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Saturday, April 19, 2025 • • General
CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) - A sacred piece of Charleston's past is getting a 21st-century safeguard.
The Charleston Humane and Friendly Cemetery in the heart of the Holy City is now part of a cutting-edge digital project aimed not just at preserving graves, but also at honoring legacies and connecting descendants to their roots.
With headstones dating back to the 1800s, the Humane and Friendly Society Cemetery in Charleston is more than just a final resting place, it's a living archive of African American history. The cemetery was founded in 1802 and established its cemetery in 1856, according to the Preservation Society of Charleston.
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Saturday, March 1, 2025 • • General
DANVILLE, Va. (AP) — A decision to move the remains of hundreds African American tenant farmers from a former Virginia tobacco plantation to a dedicated burial ground has elicited a range of emotions among the sharecroppers' descendants.
Some worry about the implications of disturbing the graves of people who were exploited and enslaved. Others hope the remains can be identified and reburied with more respect than they were afforded in life.