Rebuilding One of the Nation's Oldest Black Churches Begins at Juneteenth Ceremony
WILLIAMSBURG, VIRGINIA, JUN 19 – The project honors Black history and community resilience by reconstructing the 1805 meetinghouse, with a 215-member congregation and completion expected next year, Colonial Williamsburg officials said.
- On June 19, 2025, a ceremonial groundbreaking was held at Colonial Williamsburg to reconstruct a historic Black church at its original location, honoring its longstanding significance.
- Established in 1776, the Williamsburg church initially held clandestine outdoor gatherings before its congregation built a wooden meetinghouse around 1805; this original structure was later destroyed by a tornado in 1834, and a replacement was constructed in 1856.
- Archaeologists uncovered the church's foundation and 62 graves in a 2021 dig, revealing no heat source or glass windows, while experts linked three sets of remains to the congregation of about 500 members including enslaved people.
- Matthew Webster said the new structure will use pine, poplar, and oak wood, with bricks laid on their sides to reflect early struggles, and a concrete beam will preserve the original foundation.
- This reconstruction celebrates the legacy and strength of the Black community, reinstates respect for a historically neglected heritage, and is planned to be completed by the end of 2025 to help address longstanding historical neglect.
28 Articles
28 Articles
RockyMount Telegram
Rebuilding one of the nation's oldest Black churches begins at Juneteenth ceremony
WILLIAMSBURG, Va. (AP) — The rebuilding of one of the nation's oldest Black churches, whose congregants first gathered outdoors in secret before constructing a wooden meetinghouse in Virginia, started Thursday with a ceremonial groundbreaking.
Sun-Sentinel
Rebuilding one of the nation’s oldest Black churches begins at Juneteenth ceremony
By BEN FINLEY WILLIAMSBURG, Va. (AP) — The rebuilding of one of the nation’s oldest Black churches, whose congregants first gathered outdoors in secret before constructing a wooden meetinghouse in Virginia, started Thursday with a ceremonial groundbreaking. The First Baptist Church of Williamsburg officially established itself in 1776, although parishioners met before then in fields and under trees in defiance of laws that prevented African Amer…
Rebuilding one of nation's oldest Black churches begins at Juneteenth ceremony
WILLIAMSBURG, Va. The rebuilding of one of the nation's oldest Black churches, whose congregants first gathered outdoors in secret before constructing a wooden meetinghouse in Virginia, started Thursday with a ceremonial groundbreaking.The First Baptist Church of Williamsburg officially established itself in 1776, although parishioners met before then in fields and under trees in defiance of laws that prevented African Americans from congregatin…
Juneteenth ceremony to kick off rebuilding of Black church at Colonial Williamsburg
The First Baptist Church of Williamsburg established itself in 1776, although parishioners met before then in fields and under trees in defiance of laws that prevented African Americans from congregating.
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