Williamsburg's historic Black church reconstructed and rededicated

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 9 Oct, 20:25 · Archive

The First Baptist Church of Williamsburg, one of America's oldest Black churches, was rededicated on Friday following the reconstruction of its original meeting house. Hundreds of residents attended the ceremony to mark the restoration of the African Baptist Meeting House, which was established in 1776 by enslaved and free African Americans who gathered in defiance of laws that prevented Black people from congregating.

The original parishioners built the church house in 1805 using recycled bricks and materials they scavenged. The building stood for nearly thirty years before a tornado destroyed it in 1834. The congregation rebuilt the church in 1856, but about a century later the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, a living history museum, converted the site into a parking lot because the structure did not match the eighteenth-century aesthetic of the town.

The reconstruction became possible after archaeologists in 2021 uncovered the church's original foundation and discovered 62 graves associated with the congregation. The reconstructed building measures 16 feet by 32 feet. Pastor Reginald F. Davis said the rededication demonstrated that 'Black history is American history, and we're an example for the rest of the nation'.

How it is being reported

• Congregants celebrate the reconstruction of one of America's oldest Black churchesThe First Baptist Church of Williamsburg, one of the oldest Black churches in the U.S., celebrated the reconstruction of its original meeting house with a re-dedication on Friday.News4Jax · 9 Oct, 19:59
• Congregants celebrate the reconstruction of one of America's oldest Black churchesThe First Baptist Church of Williamsburg, one of the oldest Black churches in the U.S., celebrated the reconstruction of its original meeting house with a re-dedication on Friday.Clickorlando · 9 Oct, 19:59

In this story: First Baptist Church of Williamsburg · Colonial Williamsburg Foundation · Williamsburg · Virginia · Reginald F. Davis

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