Kempsville in Virginia Beach, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)
Pleasant Grove Baptist Church and Cemetery
Photographed By Brandon D Cross
1. Pleasant Grove Baptist Church and Cemetery Marker
Inscription.
Pleasant Grove Baptist Church and Cemetery. . Pleasant Grove Baptist Church, constituted by 1882, was built here on land purchased in 1888. The congregation, organized by African Americans who had settled in the Centerville community after emancipation, belonged to the Norfolk Virginia Union Baptist Association, one of the earliest associations of Black Baptists in the South. In 1962, Pleasant Grove member Junius Gilis led a successful effort to desegregate area public schools: organizational meetings were held here, and members of the church were among the first Black children to integrate the schools. Buried in the cemetery are many community members, including persons formerly enslaved and veterans of World Wars I and Il.
Pleasant Grove Baptist Church, constituted by 1882, was built here on land purchased in 1888. The congregation, organized by African Americans who had settled in the Centerville community after emancipation, belonged to the Norfolk Virginia Union Baptist Association, one of the earliest associations of Black Baptists in the South. In 1962, Pleasant Grove member Junius Gilis led a successful effort to desegregate area public schools: organizational meetings were held here, and members of the church were among the first Black children to integrate the schools. Buried in the cemetery are many community members, including persons formerly enslaved and veterans of World Wars I and Il.
Erected 2022 by Department of Historic Resources. (Marker Number KV-39.)
Location. 36° 46.78′ N, 76° 11.627′ W. Marker is in Virginia Beach, Virginia. It is in Kempsville. Marker is at the intersection of Kempsville Road and Lincolnshire Place, on the right when traveling south on Kempsville Road. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1925 Kempsville Rd, Virginia Beach VA 23464, United States of America. Touch for directions.
2. Pleasant Grove Baptist Church and Cemetery Marker
Credits. This page was last revised on March 16, 2024. It was originally submitted on March 15, 2024, by Brandon D Cross of Flagler Beach, Florida. This page has been viewed 34 times since then. Photos:1, 2. submitted on March 15, 2024, by Brandon D Cross of Flagler Beach, Florida. • J. J. Prats was the editor who published this page.
