Darlington Heights in Prince Edward County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)
Vernon Johns
Photographed By Bernard Fisher, April 12, 2012
1. Vernon Johns Marker
Inscription.
Vernon Johns. . Rev. Dr. Vernon Johns was born here in Darlington Heights on 22 April 1892. A graduate of Oberlin College, Johns was an orator of great renown and the first African-American minister included in Best Sermons of the Year (1926), an international publication. He was pastor of Court Street Baptist Church (1920-1926; 1941-1943) and president of Virginia Theological Seminary and College (1929-1934), both in Lynchburg. Later he was pastor of Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery, Alabama (1948-1952). A blunt-spoken opponent of racial segregation and a champion of civil rights, Johns exhorted his congregations to resist the laws that constricted their lives. He died in Washington, D.C., on 10 June 1965, and is buried just north of here.
Rev. Dr. Vernon Johns was born here in Darlington Heights on 22 April 1892. A graduate of Oberlin College, Johns was an orator of great renown and the first African-American minister included in Best Sermons of the Year (1926), an international publication. He was pastor of Court Street Baptist Church (1920-1926; 1941-1943) and president of Virginia Theological Seminary and College (1929-1934), both in Lynchburg. Later he was pastor of Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery, Alabama (1948-1952). A blunt-spoken opponent of racial segregation and a champion of civil rights, Johns exhorted his congregations to resist the laws that constricted their lives. He died in Washington, D.C., on 10 June 1965, and is buried just north of here.
Erected 1994 by Department of Historic Resources. (Marker Number M-27.)
Location. 37° 12.898′ N, 78° 32.286′ W. Marker is in Darlington Heights, Virginia, in Prince Edward County. Marker is at the intersection of
Click or scan to see this page online
Darlington Heights Road (County Route 665) and Douglas Church Road, on the right when traveling west on Darlington Heights Road. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Pamplin VA 23958, United States of America. Touch for directions.
2. Darlington Heights & Douglas Church Rds (facing west)
Credits. This page was last revised on June 16, 2016. It was originally submitted on April 14, 2012, by Bernard Fisher of Richmond, Virginia. This page has been viewed 805 times since then and 45 times this year. Photos:1, 2. submitted on April 14, 2012, by Bernard Fisher of Richmond, Virginia.
