West Point in King William County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)
Mt. Nebo Baptist Church
Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), February 26, 2021
1. Mt. Nebo Baptist Church Marker
Inscription.
Mt. Nebo Baptist Church. . African Americans held worship services in a nearby railroad toolshed during the Civil War. Jesse Dungee, later a member of the Virginia House of Delegates, organized the congregation (now known as Mt. Nebo) in 1866. The Gothic-Revival style sanctuary was built in 1887. During a boycott of West Point's segregated schools in 1952, attorney Oliver W. Hill told a large audience here that challenging the separate-but-equal doctrine was "worth going to jail for." Eight parents were later convicted of violating Virginia's compulsory school attendance law. In 1957 the Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals ruled in Dobbins v. Commonwealth that this application of the law was unconstitutional.
African Americans held worship services in a nearby railroad toolshed during the Civil War. Jesse Dungee, later a member of the Virginia House of Delegates, organized the congregation (now known as Mt. Nebo) in 1866. The Gothic-Revival style sanctuary was built in 1887. During a boycott of West Point's segregated schools in 1952, attorney Oliver W. Hill told a large audience here that challenging the separate-but-equal doctrine was "worth going to jail for." Eight parents were later convicted of violating Virginia's compulsory school attendance law. In 1957 the Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals ruled in Dobbins v. Commonwealth that this application of the law was unconstitutional.
Erected 2016 by Department of Historic Resources. (Marker Number OC-45.)
Location. 37° 32.14′ N, 76° 48.014′ W. Marker is in
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West Point, Virginia, in King William County. It is at the intersection of Kirby Street and 13th Street when traveling north on Kirby Street. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1224 Kirby St, West Point VA 23181, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is on Virginia’s Middle Peninsula. It is also in the American South, specifically in the Upper South, in the Tidewater, and in the Chesapeake Bay Region. 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.
Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), February 26, 2021
3. Mt. Nebo Baptist Church Stone
Credits. This page was last revised on March 2, 2021. It was originally submitted on March 2, 2021, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 1,094 times since then and 61 times this year. Photos:1, 2, 3. submitted on March 2, 2021, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.
