Bearings: Behind the Scenes

Written by: Ashley Fan

It’s no secret that the racial history of Charlottesville is complicated. Move a few blocks in any direction and you’ll find places that help tell the story of Charlottesville’s full history. For the purpose of inspiring a visual to pair with Peyton’s wonderful piece, I turned to the history of local Black churches. I wanted to ensure that the art was true to reality instead of arbitrarily creating church-like figures. If you’re reading this, perhaps you found yourself curious about the stories behind the facade, in which case I am happy to share what I uncovered.

Note: The churches and buildings listed below are in order from the left end of the spread to right. 

Ebenezer Baptist Church

On a class visit to the Jefferson School, Dr. Andrea Douglas gave us a tour of the former school building and its surrounding area. She heavily emphasized that the physical landmarks of Charlottesville history would speak for themselves if we only knew how to look at it. Dr. Douglas stood on the street corner and pointed in what felt like every direction to where a Black church had once stood. Most of these churches were razed as part of the Vinegar Hill redevelopment, but one of the 4–5 churches she mentioned still stands today. Ebenezer Baptist Church is just one of several churches built as a testament to Black prosperity in Charlottesville, but this history is now obstructed by the erasure of its fellow congregations. If you would like to learn more about this history, visit the Jefferson School!

Mt. Zion First African Baptist Church (currently)

The Project on Lived Theology has done extensive work with Mt. Zion to record the history of the church. Fairly recently, their congregation moved to a new building, located on Lankford St. An interview with Reverend Edwards gave insight to some tensions within the congregation before the move. The urban renewal initiative effected more than mere displacement; the leveling of a community caused division among those who were displaced. The new building offers a story of hope and resilience in a community that has managed beyond simple survival. For more on Mt. Zion, visit the Project on Lived Theology under the work of Lilly West. 

Old Trinity Church (formerly)

If you have ever been to the Dairy Market, you may have noticed a cute, little white building with green trim. It looks vaguely church-esque, but between its size and appearance, it can be difficult to tell what it is. This building, often referred to as the Old Trinity Church, used to be home to a Black church. Over the years, it had been a community space for the Black community of Charlottesville. The building was bought in 2018 and is currently managed by a Richmond hospitality group that also manages the Dairy Market. There are mixed feelings about the future use of the building, even across lines of race. Some former congregants are pleased that the space will still be used to host weddings, other locals believe this to be yet another historically Black space now occupied and repurposed by White community members. Regardless, this building reflects the tensions of race relations throughout Charlottesville’s history. 

First Baptist Church (West Main)

First Baptist is a pretty common name for a church, and in Charlottesville, there’s two FBC’s. At its start, there was only one First Baptist Church: Charlottesville Baptist Church. A side note: this church produced quite a few prominent Baptists, whom Emily Miller’s work mentions. Besides that, the original congregation included slaveholders and hundreds of enslaved people. An application was made to request a congregation separate from the White church following the Emancipation Proclamation, and after some negotiation, the church was split. It wasn’t until the fourth pastor that the Black church was led by a Black pastor, Reverend William Gibbons. The church eventually purchased the building located at the current address on West Main and renovated, and the church has since remained intertwined with the history of UVA and the Christian population of Charlottesville. To learn more about FBC’s relationship with FBC Park Street and the planting of Mt. Zion First African Baptist Church and Jefferson Park Baptist Church, see the work of Emily Miller for the Project on Lived Theology. 

Ridge Street Church/Music Resource Center (formerly Mt. Zion, currently Good Shepherd)

A building which has lived many lives, the Ridge Street church is currently home to the Music Resource Center (a local non-profit organization) and the Church of the Good Shepherd. Its original tenants were the congregants of the previously discussed Mt. Zion Church. The building was built with the help of an architect who also worked on the Rotunda, but as the congregation outgrew the space, the historic building changed hands. If you want to explore more of the current use of the building, Church of the Good Shepherd and the Music Resource Center have great resources. You can also find information about the Mt. Zion congregation via the Project of Lived Theology under “History of Charlottesville’s Mt. Zion.”

Ashley graduated in Spring 2024