Ashburn in Loudoun County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)

Belmont Chapel

Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), December 1, 2019

1. Belmont Chapel Marker

Inscription. Margaret Mercer (1791-1846), educator and reformer, purchased Belmont plantation in 1836. Here she ran a prominent academy for young women, waiving tuition for those unable to afford it. Best known for advocating the liberation of enslaved African Americans and promoting their resettlement in Liberia, Mercer also gained recognition for her book Popular Lectures on Ethics (1841). She commissioned the construction of Belmont Chapel, which opened here by 1841. The chapel hosted Episcopal services and a Sunday school at which African Americans were educated alongside whites. Long an important community center, the chapel burned in the 1960s. St. David's Episcopal Church opened here in 1990.

Erected 2018 by Department of Historic Resources. (Marker Number T-59.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Abolition & Underground RR • African Americans • Arts, Letters, Music • Education • Religion & Religious Structures • Women. In addition, it is included in the Virginia Department of Historic Resources (DHR) series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1836.

Location. 39° 4.153′ N, 77° 29.14′ W. Marker is in Ashburn, Virginia, in Loudoun County. It

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is on Russell Branch Parkway 0.4 miles north of Aspen View Boulevard, on the right when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 19800 Belmont Executive Plaza, Ashburn VA 20147, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in the Washington Metropolitan Area

and in Northern Virginia.

It is also in the American South,

specifically in the Upper South,

and in the Mid-Atlantic.

Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region,

North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the original Thirteen Colonies,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Belmont (approx. ¼ mile away); Elizabeth Mills Riverfront Park (approx. 1.4 miles away); Potomac Connections (approx. 1.4 miles away); Belmont Ridge (approx. 1.4 miles away); Ashburn School (approx. 1½ miles away); Ashburn Station (approx. 1.7 miles away); Diesel Trains on the W&OD (approx. 1.8 miles away); The Barn (approx. 2.1 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Ashburn.

Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), December 1, 2019

2. Belmont Chapel Marker

Credits. This page was last revised on July 7, 2021. It was originally submitted on December 1, 2019, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 1,088 times since then and 60 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on December 1, 2019, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.