Near Glen Allen in Hanover County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)

John Preston Clarke

Photographed by Bernard Fisher, December 19, 2014

1. John Preston Clarke Marker

Inscription. The Rev. John Preston Clarke (1831-1915), a free black man, and his Madagascar-born wife, Lucy Ann Renibe Winston, were raised in a Quaker community of free blacks in Montpelier. Ordained a minister in 1867, Clarke helped foster black institutions through individual enterprise and spiritual leadership. He is associated with eight central Virginia Baptist churches: Abner, Bethany, Ebenezer, Fifth Baptist, Greenwood, Mount Olive, St. James, and Shiloh, all of which remain active. Clarke and his wife are buried on land they owned and farmed west of Ashland in an area known as Winston Estates.

Erected 2014 by Hanover County.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Religion & Religious Structures. A significant historical year for this entry is 1867.

Location. 37° 43.328′ N, 77° 37.076′ W. Marker is near Glen Allen, Virginia, in Hanover County. It is on Abner Church Road (Virginia Route 624) 0.3 miles north of Ashland Road ( Route 623), on the left when traveling west. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 15143 Abner Church Road, Glen Allen VA 23059, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Virginia’s Piedmont,

in Central Virginia,

and in the Richmond Metropolitan Area.

It is also in the American South

and specifically in the Upper South.

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 5 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Mercer Hugh Cosby Farm (approx. 1.8 miles away); Shady Grove United Methodist Church

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(approx. 3½ miles away); Stuart Turns North (approx. 3.7 miles away); Springfield School (approx. 3.7 miles away); The Cottage (approx. 3.8 miles away); Goochland County / Henrico County (approx. 4.4 miles away); Chief Powhatan (approx. 4.6 miles away); "Right arm to partner & Reel" (approx. 4.6 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Glen Allen.

Abner Baptist Church image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Bernard Fisher, December 19, 2014

2. Abner Baptist Church

Abner Baptist Church Road image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Bernard Fisher, December 19, 2014

3. Abner Baptist Church Road

Credits. This page was last revised on August 13, 2025. It was originally submitted on December 19, 2014, by Bernard Fisher of Richmond, Virginia. This page has been viewed 1,311 times since then and 41 times this year. Last updated on March 21, 2016, by Debra Dandridge of Glen Allen, Virginia. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on December 19, 2014, by Bernard Fisher of Richmond, Virginia.