Southwest Quadrant in Alexandria, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)

Beulah Baptist Church

Photographed by Don Morfe, September 14, 2016

1. Beulah Baptist Church Marker

Inscription. African Americans escaping slavery found refuge in Alexandria after Union troops occupied the city in 1861. The Rev. Clement “Clem” Robinson established the First Select Colored School in 1862. Hundreds of students registered for day and evening classes and for courses at the associated Beulah Normal and Theological Institute. In Oct. 1863, Robinson organized Beulah Baptist Church, the first African American church founded in Alexandria after Union occupation. The congregation constructed its brick sanctuary here on the edge of the African American neighborhood known as The Bottoms. The school then moved to this site, and education remained central to Beulah’s mission.

Erected 2015 by Department of Historic Resources. (Marker Number E-139.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Education • Religion & Religious Structures • War, US Civil. In addition, it is included in the Virginia Department of Historic Resources (DHR) series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1861.

Location. 38° 48.121′ N, 77° 2.851′ W. Marker is in Alexandria, Virginia. It is in the Southwest Quadrant. It is on South Washington Street north of Wolfe Street, on the

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right when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 320 S Washington St, Alexandria VA 22314, 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: Alexandria Academy (within shouting distance of this marker); a different marker also named Alexandria Academy (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Washington School Compound (about 300 feet away); Lafayette in Alexandria (about 400 feet away); Elton B. Hummer (about 600 feet away); The Lyceum (about 600 feet away); The Historic Lyceum (about 700 feet away); Suffragists and a Courtroom Decision in Alexandria (about 700 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Alexandria.

Photographed by Don Morfe, September 14, 2016

2. Beulah Baptist Church Marker

Beulah Baptist Church image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Don Morfe, September 14, 2016

3. Beulah Baptist Church

Credits. This page was last revised on January 28, 2023. It was originally submitted on September 23, 2016, by Don Morfe of Baltimore, Maryland. This page has been viewed 934 times since then and 54 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on September 23, 2016, by Don Morfe of Baltimore, Maryland. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.