Community News · Williamsburg, VA
Williamsburg Rededicates Reconstructed First Baptist Church, One of Nation's Oldest Black Churches
Hundreds gathered in Williamsburg, Virginia, for the rededication of the reconstructed African Baptist Meeting House, originally established in 1776 by enslaved and free African Americans. The church was destroyed by a tornado in 1834, rebuilt in 1856, and converted into a parking lot roughly a century later by the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation before archaeologists uncovered its original foundation and 62 graves in 2021. The reconstruction at the original site uses pine and white oak to match the 18th-century structure, with modern additions including HVAC and an ADA-accessible ramp expected within months. Virginia State Senator Mamie Locke and community leaders spoke at the ceremony marking the building's 250th anniversary.