Arlington View in Arlington County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)

Mount Olive Baptist Church

Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), March 3, 2026

1. Mount Olive Baptist Church Marker

Inscription. In 1873, 85 formerly enslaved African Americans from the Old Bell Church in Freedmans Village, a community established by the federal government in the Civil War to assist in the transition from slavery to freedom. Upon closure of Freedmans Village, the congregation built a new church in 1893, renamed Mount Olive Baptist Church. The congregation relocated to this site in 1944 after the Federal Government seized its land to build the Pentagon. The present edifice serves as a hub for the church's commitment to its Christian mission of upholding human dignity, providing spiritual nurture, and advocating for human rights.

Erected 2023 by Arlington County, Virginia, for the church's 150th anniversary.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Religion & Religious Structures • Settlements & Settlers • War, US Civil. A significant historical year for this entry is 1873.

Location. 38° 51.747′ N, 77° 4.312′ W. Marker is in Arlington, Virginia, in Arlington County. It is in Arlington View. It is at the intersection of 13th Road South and South Poe Street, on the right when

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traveling west on 13th Road South. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1601 13th Rd S, Arlington VA 22204, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in the Washington Metropolitan Area

and in Northern Virginia.

It is also in the American South,

specifically in the Upper South,

and in the Mid-Atlantic.

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 walking distance of this marker: Albert I. Cassell (about 600 feet away, measured in a direct line); George Washington Carver Cooperative Apartments (about 600 feet away); History of Bocce Ball (approx. 0.2 miles away); Selina Gray (approx. ¼ mile away); Harry W. Gray House (approx. ¼ mile away); Site of Arlington Chapel (approx. 0.3 miles away); Hume School (approx. 0.3 miles away); St. John's Baptist Church

Mount Olive Baptist Church Marker on the grounds of the congregation image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0)

2. Mount Olive Baptist Church Marker on the grounds of the congregation

(approx. 0.3 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Arlington.

Credits. This page was last revised on March 3, 2026. It was originally submitted on March 3, 2026, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 30 times since then. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on March 3, 2026, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.