Near Cape Charles in Northampton County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)
Elijah Baker
(1742-1798)
Photographed by Tim Fillmon, July 21, 2020
1. Elijah Baker Marker
Elijah Baker, Baptist preacher, began his ministry in Lunenburg County. As an itinerant in the 1770s, he helped found several churches in the counties along the James and York Rivers. He arrived in this area on Easter Sunday 1776 and traveled to nearby Magothy Bay Anglican Church. The minister was absent, and Baker, atop a horse block near the churchyard, preached the first Baptist sermon on the Eastern Shore. He is credited with helping to found 18 Baptist churches on the Delmarva Peninsula. Detained in Accomack County in 1778, he was the last Baptist jailed for preaching in Virginia. Baker was the pastor of nearby Lower Northampton Baptist Church when he died in 1798.
Erected 2017 by Department of Historic Resources. (Marker Number WY 26.)
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Religion & Religious Structures • Settlements & Settlers. In addition, it is included in the Virginia Department of Historic Resources (DHR) series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1776.
Location. 37° 14.759′ N, 75° 58.332′ W. Marker is near Cape Charles, Virginia, in Northampton
this page online
Regionally, this marker is on the Eastern Shore. It is also in the American South, specifically in the Upper South, on the Delmarva Peninsula, and in the Tidewater. 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 3 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: A different marker also named Elijah Baker (within shouting distance of this marker); Welcome to the Arlington Sites Preserve (approx. 2.1 miles away); American Indians (approx. 2.1 miles away); European Settlement (approx. 2.1 miles away); African Presence (approx. 2.1 miles away); Archaeology (approx.
Photographed by Tim Fillmon, July 21, 2020
2. Elijah Baker Marker and Lower Northampton Baptist Church
Other markers no longer nearby. Arlington (was approx. 2 miles away but has been confirmed missing); Mansion Site (was approx. 2.1 miles away but has been replaced with another marker now near it); Bacon's Rebellion (was approx. 2.1 miles away but has been replaced with another marker now near it); Indians (was approx. 2.1 miles away but has been replaced with another marker now near it); Slavery on the Eastern Shore (was approx. 2.1 miles away but has been replaced with another marker now near it).
Also see . . . Elijah Baker. (Submitted on July 17, 2025, by Brandon D Cross of Flagler Beach, Florida.)
Credits. This page was last revised on June 7, 2026. It was originally submitted on August 2, 2020, by Tim Fillmon of Webster, Florida. This page has been viewed 2,453 times since then and 79 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on August 2, 2020, by Tim Fillmon of Webster, Florida. • J. Makali Bruton was the editor who published this page.
