Saluda in Middlesex County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)
Antioch Baptist Church
Photographed by Bessida Cauthorne White, September 4, 2024
1. Antioch Baptist Church Marker
Antioch Baptist Church, the oldest black church in Middlesex County, was formed in 1866 by black members of white-led Clarks Neck (later Saluda) Baptist Church. They acquired an acre of land just north of here in 1867 and added two more acres in 1881. Civil War soldiers are buried there. Antioch was one of four founding churches of the Southside Rappahannock Baptist Association and hosted its first meeting in 1877. An early black public school, Antioch School, was adjacent to the church. Two Antioch pastors, the Revs. R. E. Berkley and C. R. Towles, were founders of Baptist-run Rappahannock Industrial Academy in 1902; buildings there were named for them. Four churches came out of Antioch.
Erected 2022 by Department of Historic Resources. (Marker Number OC 39.)
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Cemeteries & Burial Sites • Education • Religion & Religious Structures. A significant historical year for this entry is 1866.
Location. 37° 36.381′ N, 76° 35.693′ W. Marker is in Saluda, Virginia, in Middlesex County. It is at the intersection of General Puller
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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.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Middlesex County Courthouse (a few steps from this marker); Middlesex County Confederate Monument (a few steps from this marker); 1st Lt Beryl R. Newman (a few steps from
Photographed by Bessida Cauthorne White, September 4, 2024
2. Antioch Baptist Church Marker (left)
Photographed by Tyler Radabaugh
3. Antioch Baptist Church and Middlesex County Courthouse Markers
Photographed by Evan Dwyer, June 19, 2025
4. Antioch Baptist Church
Though the congregation was formed in 1866, the church did not have their first building until the following year. The current building shown here was completed in 1895 following a fire that destroyed its predecessor. The addition on the back of the building was added in the middle of the 20th century, ca. 1950-65. The detached building in the distant right background is the old Antioch Grade School, originally a one-room structure moved to the site in 1878 and later expanded with a second room in 1907 and a third around 1920.
Credits. This page was last revised on July 5, 2025. It was originally submitted on September 4, 2024, by Bessida Cauthorne White of Jamaica, Virginia. This page has been viewed 453 times since then and 56 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on September 4, 2024, by Bessida Cauthorne White of Jamaica, Virginia. 4. submitted on July 3, 2025, by Evan Dwyer of Richmond, Virginia. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.
