On March 6th, 1863 800 members of the congregation of the Baptist Church of Charlottesville petitioned to hold their own congregation. They wanted a space where they could worship without segregation; this would allow them to gather on the main floor of the church and participate in church councils and decision making. Once granted, the congregation began meeting in the basement of the Delevan Hotel.&nbsp;The Delevan Hotel had been a house for students, a classical academy, and a military hospital. In 1876 the Hotel was condemned. The congregation came together and decided to have the Hotel demolished. The construction on the Delevan Baptist Church began in 1877 and was completed in 1884. The Church is an example of the Romanesque Revival style. The entrance is covered by a large brick doorway, topped&nbsp;by a wooden lantern on a square base. There are six-bay sides to the building, each side with a stained glass window. The rear of the building features a retangular apse with a projecting gabled roof. The building was placed on&nbsp;the National
Register of Historic Places in&nbsp;1982. The church celebrated the city's&nbsp;250th anniversary by holding a community event within the structure. In honoring the church's connections with both the city and the city's African American community, the church honored three of its earliest and most influential members: Benjamin Tonsler, John West and Rebecca McGinness. Members also read from the 1863 diary of another early member, Rebecca Shelton.&nbsp;

More Info

The National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form

Hallowed Ground-History of First Baptist Church of Charlottesville (Delevan Baptist). 

City of Charlottesville-"First Baptist Church" (Delevan Baptist)

African American Historic Sites Database-Virginia-First Baptist Church (Delevan Baptist)

Short bio on Rebecca McGinness. Includes audio of an 1986 interview she gave. 

Also known as First Baptist Church and First Colored Baptist Church, construction began on this site in 1877 and was completed in 1884. Empowered by the Emancipation Proclamation of 1863, 800 African American congregation members sought to created a Baptist place of worship where they would not be segregated. Initially the congregation was held in the basement of the Delevan Hotel. When the building was condemned in 1876, the congregation opted to tear down the hotel and created the building that stands today. 

Delevan Baptist Church

Enjoy a walk through Charlottesville, Virginia. This historic city was founded in 1762 and is the seat of Albemarle County and home of the University of Virginia. This tour gives you a taste of Charlottesville's fascinating past and includes a handful of monuments and historic buildings as well as the Albemarle Charlottesville Historical Society. 

The Jefferson School first opened its doors in October 1865, just six months after the end of the Civil War. The New England Freedmen's Aid Society sent a teacher, Anna Gardner, to Charlottesville to open a school for former slaves. She named the school "Jefferson School" after the nation's third president, Thomas Jefferson, whom she admired. In October 1865, the first Jefferson School was established in a single room in the Delevan Hotel on West Main Street, a space that had previously served as a hospital for wounded Confederate soldiers. In 1869, the school grew to three grades and moved to a building near the Charlottesville train station. Finally, in 1894, the school was moved to the corner of Fourth and Commerce Streets. In 1924, community members and concerned parents petitioned the Charlottesville City School Board for a high school for African American students, and, in 1926, Jefferson High School became one of only ten African American high schools in Virginia. Throughout the 1930s and 1950s, the school building underwent expansions, including the addition of the Carver Recreation Center, and shifts in purpose as the student demographic outgrew the space. The school served as a flagship location for bringing about integration in Charlottesville after a "Massive Resistance" movement that occurred following the Supreme Court's landmark ruling in Brown vs. Board of Education. As part of "Massive Resistance," Virginia Governor J. Lindsay Almond, Jr. closed two local schools, Venable Elementary and Lane High, to avoid integrating. However, as the schools were closed and other schools became overcrowded, it was clear that this strategy was faulty. Due to an equally headstrong effort on the part of Civil Rights activists, African American students and parents, and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), the Charlottesville Schools were eventually desegregated. In 1965, Jefferson School became an integrated junior high school, in compliance with the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Conveniently situated between the University of Virginia and Charlottesville's Downtown Mall, this historic landmark is a bridge between the collegiate community and the greater Charlottesville-Albemarle area and is a part of the revitalization of the Starr Hill neighborhood. The school and neighborhood fit into a long, deeply rooted African American cultural tradition in Charlottesville. From Monticello's Mulberry Row to UVA's architectural masterpieces, the African American community has had a great impact on the region. The Jefferson School is a dynamic structure honoring and building upon the school's history as the premier education and social center for generations.

Opened in 1926, the Jefferson School was Charlottesville's first African American high school. This site at the corner of 4th Street NW and Commerce Street was also home to the Jefferson Graded School which opened in 1895. Both schools were successors to the first Jefferson School, a freedmen's school, founded in 1865. Today, the Jefferson School houses numerous non-profit organizations, including the African American Heritage Center which offers historical and contemporary exhibitions as well as community events.

Jefferson School African American Heritage Center

<div>Commissioned in 1919 for the National Sculpture Society, this statue was created by Charles Keck. Keck also sculpted the nearby Thomas Jonathan Jackson Sculpture.&nbsp;In 1997 the statue was listed on National Register of Historic Places.&nbsp; The sculpture is an accurate historical depiction of all three explorers.&nbsp;The base of pink granite&nbsp;includes etchings of&nbsp;a brief description of the lives of the explorers as well as information about the exploration they completed together. Near this narrative section, one can also find images that represent important aspects of the journey, including hunting for buffalo, the exploration of rivers, tribal councils, animals such as the bald eagle, and the seals of the United States and the state of Virginia. The three figures face west, the direction of the Pacific Ocean. &nbsp;The statue represents the first public depiction of the Corps of Discovery in Charlottesville and expresses the popular sentiments of the day towards exploration, national purpose and conquest of the wilderness in North America. In 2009, the city of Charlottesville was pressured by American Indian organizations and descendants of Sacajawea to "set the record straight", because it was said by these two groups that Sacajawea's role with the Corps of Discovery was downplayed. The same year, the city added a plaque to the statue to correct the record.&nbsp;</div>

Located at the intersection of Ridge and Main Street in Charlottesville, this statue of Sacagawea, William Clark, and Meriwether Lewis commemorates the 1803-1806 Lewis and Clark expedition. The statue is located in Midway Park, is a prominent historic and geographic position that predated the settlement of the town. The statue was erected in 1919 and is known as "Their First View of the Pacific." This was the first of three statues donated to Charlottesville by Paul Goodloe McIntire. In recent years, residents of the city have considered replacing this statue with one that better reflects the centrality of Sacagawea's contribution. The artist's decision to portray the Native American guide behind Clark and Lewis and in a manner that differs sharply from the heroic pose of the two European-American explorers has led to numerous conversations about the way monuments reflect choices about who should be included and how they should be depicted. More recent monumental depictions of the Lewis and Clark expedition usually include Sacagawea and York, an enslaved person of African descent who was also central to the success of the expedition. A recent monument in Kansas City, for example, depicts these four persons together and is known as the Corps of Discovery monument to further emphasize the important roles played by many diverse participants.    

Lewis and Clark and Sacagawea Statue

Robert E. Lee was born in 1807 to an elite Virginia family. Lee's father served as a general in the American Revolution, just one of many influential members of an extended family that included a President and Supreme Court Chief Justice. Robert Lee attended West Point Military Academy and graduated with the highest marks in his class in the subjects of artillery, infantry and cavalry.Lee distinguished himself early in his military career, earning praise from General Winfield Scott during the Mexican-American War. Scott remarked that should the federal government ever go to war again, Lee would be so valuable as a military leader that the government should purchase a life insurance policy on the commander so that the government would at least be compensated should they lose one of their ablest commanders. Like many other military leaders, Lee spent a number of years away from the service, operating his father-in-laws plantation before returning to military service in the late 1850s.In 1859, Lee led troops in Virginia that thwarted the attempted slave uprising led by John Brown at Harper's Ferry. As the Presidential election of 1860 demonstrated the divisions between the North and South over the extension of slavery into the West, Lee initially opposed those who advocated secession. Demonstrating the way that many Americans identified themselves as citizens of their state more than as citizens of the United States, when Lee was forced to choose between following Virginia or remaining in the Union, Lee chose the former. He turned down the offer to command the Union army and became the commander of the Confederacy's largest army.In the early 1900s, local business leader Paul McIntire dedicated funds to create Confederate statues and parks throughout Charlottesville. It is important to note that these statues honoring the defenders of the "Old South" were erected in the racially-charged atmosphere of the 1920s. Newspaper clippings of the statue's dedication indicate speeches that both honored Confederate veterans and defended the system of slavery. McIntire commissioned sculptor Henry Shrady to create a prototype of this statue showcasing both Lee and his horse, Traveller. However, Shrady was working on the Grant Memorial, a massive undertaking to create a statue in honor of a Union military leader and future President. Shrady was suffering at the time from an undisclosed illness and in 1922, he died while working on the prototype. This "miniature" statue was nearly lost until artist Leo Lentelli, who was commissioned as Shrady's replacement the same year, was able to preserve the prototype and base his work on Shrady's vision for the statue. While both Shrady and Lentelli sought to be as accurate as possible with the faces of Lee and Traveller, both sculptures bear differences. Shrady's prototype depicts the Confederate leader more as an ordinary man. Visitors can view an image of that statue on this entry, or they can visit the Jefferson-Madison Regional Library where it is on display. Lentelli sought to give both Lee and Traveller a more classic 19th-century military look-somewhat less triumphant than those of other generals but still reflecting dignity and power. After seven years, the full scale Lentelli sculpture was cast in Boston in 1924 and unveiled that year in Charlottesville in the newly constructed Lee Park, built from land that had been donated from the Charles Venable family. In recent years, the statue has become a focal point between defenders of Confederate heritage and residents who believe that statues honoring men who led the Confederacy perpetuates the racial ideologies that were prevalent among whites during the war and the period when these monuments were created. While Robert E. Lee is often revered for his skillful military leadership and became well-known for advocating sectional reconciliation after the war, he shared the racial worldview of other Confederate leaders. Although he was more open to the possibility of Black military service towards the end of the war than his contemporaries, Lee shared their view that racial equality was dangerous and unnatural. In 2017, the Lee statue was the epicenter of local and national news coverage about Confederate memory and race in the United States. The Charlottesville City Council initially voted to keep the statue in place in January, and then voted for its removal in both February and April. In June, Lee Park was renamed Emancipation Park. Groups in opposition to these decisions, fueled by underlying racist and white supremacist beliefs, led violent rallies in Charlottesville throughout the summer, which were met with a strong counterprotester response. Thousands attended a vigil on UVA's campus calling for peace, unity, and equality. The events ignited a heated national conversation about the place of Confederate monuments in modern America. The statue of Lee, as well as a statue of Stonewall Jackson, were covered in late August. Its future remains heavily debated.In response to the events in Charlottesville, historical institutions across the United States released statements condemning the violence and offering historical context. "To remove such monuments is neither to 'change' history nor 'erase' it," stated the American Historical Association. "What changes with such removals is what American communities decide is worthy of civic honor." The Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History and Culture ended its statement by saying, "Only when we illuminate the dark corners and tell the unvarnished truth can we learn history’s lessons and bridge the gaps that divide us."

This bronze statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee astride his horse Traveller was dedicated in 1924 as part of a reunion of Confederate soldiers and removed in 2021 after years of public debate. Artist Henry Shrady began the statue, but he passed away prior to its completion. The statue was completed by Leo Lentelli and donated to the city of Charlottesville by Paul McIntire. The dedication ceremony included tributes to veterans as well as a defense of the "Lost Cause" ideology - racially charged set of ideas that in the 1920s - included the defense and maintenance of segregation. Modern supporters of this and other Confederate monuments emphasize the region's efforts to pay tribute to veterans and military leaders. Others point to the troubling racial legacy of the Confederacy and the connection between the erection of pro-Confederate monuments and the defenders of the Lost Cause. Defenders of the statue argue that removal is tantamount to destroying history, although both sides do agree that Lee himself has no direct historical ties to the city of Charlottesville. University of Virginia historian John Mason spoke in favor of removing the statue in 2016, citing the racial climate at the time of its creation as well as the Confederacy's efforts to defend and preserve chattel slavery. "If we want a city that does not celebrate racism, does not celebrate the cause of the Confederacy," Mason explained, "then we’re going to have to remove [the statue]." While the statue's dedication was a celebrated public affair, it's removal was completed without an announcement for fear of potential violence.

Statue of Robert E. Lee in Charlottesville (1924-2021)

Paul Goodloe McIntire financed the construction of the building and then donated it to the City of Charlottesville in 1921. It was designed by Walter Dabney Blair in the Beux Arts architectural style. The building became the city's first municipal library and has been the home of the historical society since 1994. The Society's research library, administered by a librarian on the staff of the Jefferson-Madison Regional Library, contains over 2,000 books and bound periodicals, as well as manuscripts, maps, pamphlets, newspapers, and vertical files relating to the history of the Charlottesville and Albemarle community. Additionally, the archival collection contains over 1,500 artifacts of historical significance to Charlottesville and Albemarle County in addition to over 60,000 photographic images. The Society's programs look to preserve and discover history of the area. They offer a group walking tour October through April. They offer an annual Preservation Award to members of the community who have completed restoration, preservation, or reconstruction projects. ACHS is now working with Albemarle County to acquire access to the Historic Albemarle County Jail No. 5 in Court Square for use a community museum. ACHS has offered limited public tours of the jail facility.

Built in 1921 and donated to the city by Paul Goodloe McIntire, The McIntire Building was Charlottesville's first municipal library. This building is now home to the Albemarle Charlottesville Historical Society. The Society is a non-profit organization that focuses on preservation of Charlottesville and Albemarle history. This membership based organization holds a research library with over 2,000 periodicals, 1,500 artifacts, and 60,000 photographic images.

Albemarle Charlottesville Historical Society (ACHS)

Thomas Jonathan “Stonewall” Jackson was born January 21st 1824 in Clarksburg, Virginia (West Virginia today). Largely self-educated until he was accepted to West Point, Jackson possessed an advanced understanding of mathematics as well as military tactics. Following his graduation from West Point, Jackson served in the Mexican American War as a 2nd Lieutenant for the 1st Artillery. Jackson participated in the siege of Veracruz and the Battle of Mexico City. During the war, he Robert E. Lee and many other future Confederate officers. After the Mexican American War Jackson, retired from the army and took a teaching position at Virginia Military Institute (VMI) where he taught philosophy classes and courses on artillery tactics. In 1853 he married Elinor Junkin, but she passed away the following year as she gave birth to a stillborn son. Jackson later married Mary Morrison and the couple experienced the anguish of losing a second child when their daughter passed away a month after her birth. Jackson rejoined the military in 1859 and was one of the leading officers who responded to John Brown’s attempted raid at Harper's Ferry. When Virginia seceded from the Union in 1861, Jackson left the federal army and joined the Confederacy. He was appointed to the rank of colonel and moved to Harpers Ferry. Early in the conflict, Jackson was promoted to brigadier general. Jackson’s actions at the Battle of Bull Run-the first major battle of the Civil War-led to his promotion. While providing reinforcements to Confederate troops, Jackson ordered his men to fill a gap in the Confederate's main defensive line. In response, General Barnard Bee famously remarked “There is Jackson standing like a stonewall.” From that moment, Jackson became revered among Southerners and known as "Stonewall Jackson." Embracing the growing legend of their leader, Jackson's troops referred to themselves as the "Stonewall Brigade."After ending his attempted offensive into Pennsylvania following the Battle of Antietam, General Robert E. Lee promoted Jackson to Lieutenant General. Jackson took charge of Lee's second corps and led these men to victory at the battle of Fredericksburg. In May 1863, Jackson’s men attacked Union troops from behind at the Battle of Chancellorsville and forced them to retreat due to heavy losses. On May 2nd 1863, Jackson was reviewing his position at night when he was shot by a Confederate soldier who mistook him for a possible Union picket. On May 10th, Jackson the injured reportedly said “Let us cross over the river and rest under the shade of trees.” These would be his last words as he died of his wounds.

A statue of Civil War General Stonewall Jackson was dedicated at this location in 1921 and removed in 2021 after years of community discussion and public debate. The dedication ceremony in 1921 celebrated the war as a noble cause to defend "Southern institutions" - a clear reference to slavery in an era of segregation. By contrast, the removal of the statue was done privately owing to fears of violence by the statue's defenders. As evidenced by the dedication speeches, the statue was intended to reflect the early 19th century defense by many white Southerners of the "Lost Cause" ideology of the Civil War. At the same time, the dedication ceremony included tributes to Confederate veterans and the military leadership of Jackson. The statue was located next to Albemarle County Courthouse and created by artist Charles Keck. At the time of its dedication, it was considered one of the best equestrian statues in the world.In 2012, Charlottesville vice-mayor Kristin Szakos attended a history lecture by Edward Ayers. The vice-mayor asked a question that was on the minds of many residents-"should the city consider" moving or even destroying Confederate monuments given their connection to men who fought to defend slavery and the racial politics of many of the people who erected these statues in the early 1900s. She also asked if the city should consider creating new monuments to honor Virginians who fought for the Union and/or against slavery. The city’s first Confederate statue was unveiled in 1893-a year that coincided with a sudden increase in racial violence. The statue to Confederate General Robert E. Lee was dedicated in 1924-the same year that Virginia saw a peak in racially-motivated lynchings. The question led to a firestorm of controversy, with the vice-mayor receiving a number of threatening phone calls from defenders of the Confederate monuments. In the years that followed, more attention has been given to the connection between the sudden "explosion" of Confederate monuments and the racial politics of the era and the disturbingly high number of lynchings throughout Virginia. Defenders of the statue point out the men like Jackson and Lee were military leaders who performed well on the field of battle and distanced themselves from the politics of the war. The question of the statue's propriety, like the nature of the war itself, remains controversial even after its removal. While it stood, historians like Ayers recommend more interpretative signage to demonstrate the contested nature of historical memory. After removal, historians continue to emphasize the importance of context and interpretation as communities reimagine their monumental landscapes.

Statue of Stonewall Jackson (1821-2021)

The Old Albemarle County Jail is located along High Street, across from the County Courthouse. Designed by local architect and building contractor, G.W. Spooner, the structure is a two-story, three-bay stone and brick building measuring 20' x 68'. Construction on the jail began on September 15, 1875, using stones taken from a previous jail. The brick annex and jail yard were added in 1880, and a jailer's residence was built in 1886. Until 1974, when the jail was closed, the penitentiary complex was the only such facility in Ablemarle County. The second floor included a wash room, reading room, and two rooms used to house female prisoners. Its most notorious prisoner was former Charlottesville mayor Samuel McCue, who was held here in 1905 after being tried and convicted for the murder of his wife. McCue was subsequently executed by hanging in the last public execution in Virginia history. Architecturally, the old jail is built according to the traditional single pile plan in a simple Italianate style. A cornico decorated by brackets support a low tin roof. The original stone floors are now covered with cement. The walls are 3' in thickness, with tiny splayed windows covered by iron bars. Similar to other contemporary structures, the front entrance is sheltered by a single-story veranda. The building's characteristic archway was partially filled in to make room for the jailor's office. Surrounding the jail and courtyard is a tall brick wall, entered through an archway on the High Street side. Since its construction, the jail has been owned and maintained by the Ablemarle County Sheriff's Department. Following its closure, it has since served as a storage facility for the County. However, plans are underway to convert the old jailhouse into a museum.

Built in 1876, the historic Albemarle County Jail is located in Court Square. The complex provides an example of the evolution of penitentiary facilities during the 19th and 20th Centuries. Prisoners were kept in the jail until 1974, including former Mayor J. Samuel McCue who, in 1905, underwent the last public execution in Virginia history. Following the construction of a new penitentiary in 1974, the structure has since been closed to the public and serves as a storage facility for the County. Efforts are underway to convert the jail into a museum.

Old Albemarle County Jail

Built in 1895, this single family home represents an almost untouched version of Greek Revival style. The front facade includes four pilasters with stucco capitals to separate the three bays. These pilasters were common in Charlottesville during the period but very few occurrences remain do to replacement or reconstruction. The slate roof of the porch&nbsp;originally served as an additional balcony for the upper quarters. While no tours are currently being held in the Abell-Gleason Home, the interior floor plan has remained largely unchanged. The first floor includes a grand staircase. Modern plumbing and electrical wiring was added in the 1940s, this included the addition of bathrooms. This change did not effect the exterior of the home.&nbsp;Also found on the grounds is a four room servants quarters.&nbsp; The home sits on a tract of land that was originally acquired in 1755. The majority of the owners of the home used the property as a single-family residence. This changed in the 1940s&nbsp;when the home was purchased by J. Emmet Gleason, the mayor of Charlottesville. The Gleasons allowed the home to be used for events as requested by the community. In 1974, the Gleasons sold the house. It has been used privately since.&nbsp;

Built in 1859 for Alexander Pope Abell, this Greek Revival style home is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. This home is an accurate representation of the popular architecture of Charlottesville in the mid-1900s. The four pillars on the front facade as well as the stucco cornice are classic elements of the Greek Revival  style. The Abell-Gleason House continues to be a single family home with no available tours. 

Charlottesville, Virginia Walking Tour

Delevan Baptist Church

Introduction

Images

Backstory and Context

Additional Information