Buena Vista in Southeast Washington in Washington, District of Columbia — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
Faith and Action
An East-of-the-River View
— Anacostia Heritage Trail —
You are standing at the main crossroads of Barry Farm, a post-Civil War (1861-1865) village settled by the formerly enslaved. Some Barry Farm-era churches still serve the neighborhood.
Macedonia Baptist Church, about a block to your left at 2625 Stanton Road, was organized in 1866 by Rev. James William Howard. Ten years later a group led by Rev. Henry Scott left Macedonia to form Bethlehem Baptist Church (across Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue).
Some early Barry Farm residents trekked the mile to the African Methodist Episcopal Allen Chapel, which since 1850 served the free black families of Good Hope village. Soon they formed what became Campbell AME Church, up the hill from this spot. During the 1950s, Campbell AME hosted groups working to desegregate schools in the District. Young church members Barbara and Adrienne Jennings were plaintiffs in Bolling v. Sharpe, one of the court cases folded into Brown v. Board of Education. In 1954 the Supreme Court decided Brown v. Board and outlawed school segregation nationwide.
African American Episcopalians attended the Chapel of St. Philip the Evangelist, founded in 1887 as a mission of the nearby white Emmanuel Episcopal Church. St. Philip's 1937 building on Shannon Place was a gift from undertaker Minnie B. Smoot. Former City Council Chair Arrington Dixon recalled how St. Philip's Father Charles Walden gave him his first political awareness: "Father Walden would take us to the regional Episcopal Diocese youth meetings. They had discussion groups on all kinds of thoughtful things that kids should know."
Civic leader, lecturer, and poet Solomon Brown of Elvans Road founded Pioneer Sabbath School, where adults heard uplifting talks by such eminent speakers of the late 18005 as Frederick Douglass, Representative John Mercer Langston, and other members of Congress. Brown's school met weekly in Douglass Hall on the corner of Howard Road behind you.
The United House of Prayer for All People, on Douglass Hall's former site, arrived in Anacostia in 1942, and on this spot in 1969.
Erected 2016 by Cultural Tourism DC. (Marker Number 2.)
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Churches & Religion. In addition, it is included in the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church, and the Anacostia Heritage Trail series lists. A significant historical year for this entry is 1866.
Location. 38° 51.673′ N, 76° 59.649′ W. Marker is in Southeast Washington in Washington, District of Columbia. It is in Buena Vista. Marker is on Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue Southeast south of Howard Road Southeast, on the right when traveling south. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 2511 Martin Luther King Jr Avenue Southeast, Washington DC 20020, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Bethlehem Baptist Church (within shouting distance of this marker); A Navy Town (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Birney School (about 400 feet away); Nichols Avenue Elementary School / Old Birney School Site (about 400 feet away); Roads That Divide (about 500 feet away); Barry Farm Dwellings (about 600 feet away); A Museum for the Community (about 700 feet away); Campbell African Methodist Episcopal Church (about 700 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Southeast Washington.
Also see . . . Macedonia Baptist Church, African American Heritage Trail. (Submitted on January 16, 2018, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.)
Credits. This page was last revised on March 31, 2024. It was originally submitted on January 14, 2017, by Allen C. Browne of Silver Spring, Maryland. This page has been viewed 476 times since then and 30 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on January 14, 2017, by Allen C. Browne of Silver Spring, Maryland. 4. submitted on January 24, 2017, by Allen C. Browne of Silver Spring, Maryland. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.
Editor’s want-list for this marker. A close up photo of the reverse side of the marker. • Can you help?