Dunnsville in Essex County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)
Angel Visit Baptist Church
Photographed By Bessida Cauthorne White, April 3, 2022
1. Angel Visit Baptist Church Marker
Inscription.
Angel Visit Baptist Church, one of the oldest African American churches in Essex County, was formed in 1866 when African American members withdrew from white-led Ephesus Baptist Church after Emancipation. The congregation purchased land here in 1867 and erected a sanctuary, which they replaced with a larger building after acquiring an adjoining lot in 1893. Ozeana School, one of the county’s first public schools for African Americans, stood just south of the church for decades. The church burned in 1917, and the present 350-seat sanctuary opened in 1919. In the early 20th century, students and faculty from Rappahannock Industrial Academy, a nearby Baptist-run boarding school, worshiped here.
Angel Visit Baptist Church, one of the oldest African American churches in Essex County, was formed in 1866 when African American members withdrew from white-led Ephesus Baptist Church after Emancipation. The congregation purchased land here in 1867 and erected a sanctuary, which they replaced with a larger building after acquiring an adjoining lot in 1893. Ozeana School, one of the county’s first public schools for African Americans, stood just south of the church for decades. The church burned in 1917, and the present 350-seat sanctuary opened in 1919. In the early 20th century, students and faculty from Rappahannock Industrial Academy, a nearby Baptist-run boarding school, worshiped here.
Erected 2021 by Virginia Department of Historic Resources. (Marker Number O-77.)
Location. 37° 49.742′ N, 76° 48.107′ W. Marker is in Dunnsville, Virginia, in Essex County. Marker is at the intersection of Tidewater Trail (U.S. 17) and Muddy Gut Road (Virginia Route 607), on the right when traveling south on Tidewater Trail. Touch for map.
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Marker is at or near this postal address: 29566 Tidewater Trail, Dunnsville VA 22454, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Photographed By Bessida Cauthorne White, April 16, 2022
2. Angel Visit Baptist Church Marker
Photographed By Bessida Cauthorne White, 2016
3. Angel Visit Baptist Church
4. Angel Visit Baptist Church
Angel Visit Baptist Church, pre-1917
Credits. This page was last revised on May 24, 2022. It was originally submitted on April 6, 2022, by Bessida Cauthorne White of Jamaica, Virginia. This page has been viewed 619 times since then and 44 times this year. Photos:1. submitted on April 6, 2022, by Bessida Cauthorne White of Jamaica, Virginia. 2. submitted on April 17, 2022, by Bessida Cauthorne White of Jamaica, Virginia. 3, 4. submitted on May 23, 2022, by Bessida Cauthorne White of Jamaica, Virginia. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.