Location: Court St, between Queen St and London St, Portsmouth, VA 23704

Visited: June 1, 2009, 2:00pm

Transcription of marker:

Established in 1789, the Portsmouth and Norfolk Baptist Church served as the first Baptist congregation in South Hampton Roads. The name was changed in 1791 to Portsmouth Baptist Church and again in 1855 to its current name, Court Street Baptist Church. This Romanesque Revival-style church is the third building to occupy the site and contains the cornerstone of the previous building.

Black members of Court Street Baptist Church worshiped in the basement until May 1865 when 318 of the congregation founded their own church, Zion Baptist. This church became the second African-American Baptist Church established in Portsmouth. Located on Green Street, it is still in use today.

My impressions: The building is quite unique-looking and I was inspired to look at it even before I saw the Path of History marker. One thing that seems strange to me, given the times and places I’ve grown up, is to think about the formalized racial segregation that existed for so long in so many places, and in churches, of all places. I don’t really have much to say, but as I re-copied that marker today, it did come to mind.

Markeroni status: Will be submitted once I have gathered information about the Path of History.

Visited: June 1, 2009, 1:55pm

Location: Corner of Dinwiddie St & Queen St, Portsmouth, VA 23704

Transcription of State Historical Marker:

This church, founded 1772, is one of the oldest Methodist churches in Virginia. The first building was erected, 1775, at South and Effingham Streets. The church was moved to Glasgow Street near Court in 1792. It established the first Sunday school in Portsmouth in 1818. Monumental was moved to this site, Dinwiddie Street, in 1831.

Virginia Conservation Commission 1948

Transcriptions of other markers:

Marker #1:

Monumental UMC
has been placed on the
National Register
of Historic Places
by the United States
Department of the Interior
Nov. 14, 1772

Marker #2:

A. D. 1772
Methodist Society formed by Rev. Robert Williams of England and Isaac Luke of Portsmouth, Virginia

1775
Built at South and Effingham Streets

1792
Moved to Glasgow Street near Court

1818
Formed first Sunday School in Portsmouth

1831
Moved to this site and erected Dinwiddie Street M. E. Church

1856
Built Emanuel M. E. Church North Street for colored members

1866
Erected Sunday School chapel

A. D. 1872
Built Monumental Church in memory of the founders 

My impressions: It’s there. The exterior of this church isn’t a type that moves me. (Yet.) I say that because I would have had a similar reaction to the interior of my current church before it became my church. And that non-reaction is probably intensified by the fact that I was getting tired. I’d taken a lot of photos and seen a lot of history in the short time since I’d arrived in Portsmouth and it was at this point in the day that I started heading back towards the ferry home. And, for me, the inside of most churches is more impressive than the outside.

Notes for future snarfers: It’s Portsmouth, there are LOTS of historic sites. If you’re local, just come on over and go wild. If you want to get as much as you can, do the research before you arrive

Markeroni status: My visit was logged today.

Since moving to Virginia Beach, I’ve been attending Old Donation Episcopal Church, and given that it qualifies on multiple criteria, I wanted to make it my first snarf. But as it happens, I didn’t actually get my camera out when I was at the church last night, but afterwards, we went a short piece down the road to a state historical marker about the church’s history.

Old Donation Church

State Historical Marker
Virginia K 280
Old Donation Church

Location: In front of the Bayside branch of the Virginia Beach Public Library, 936 Independence Blvd, Virginia Beach, VA 23455

An interesting note about the location of this marker is that it is approximately a half-mile or so from the church itself and the church can not be seen from the marker and vice versa. This is especially interesting, because the church is visible from the location of the second marker I snarfed last night (which will follow in another post later today).

Visited: May 19, 2009, 7:00pm

Transcription of plaque:

Just east stands Old Donation Episcopal Church, built in 1736. It is the third building to serve the colonial era Lynnhaven Parish, established by 1642. The second church, once adjacent to the current building, was converted into a school in 1737. The church received its present name in the early 19th century likely in commemoration of a gift of land. An 1882 fire left only portions of its brick walls standing. The building was restored in 1916 and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1972.

My impressions: Maybe it was the advantage of the lighting only an hour before sunset, but I found the plaque’s location surprisingly beautiful, especially considering it was between a busy highway and a fairly new looking brick library. But there were some nice, big trees between the sidewalk of Independence Blvd and the library parking lot. The other nice thing about the location is its prominence. We’ve driven by this marker several times. Even though we hadn’t stopped until last night (partly, I expect, because it isn’t immediately clear from Independence Blvd where one can park), I think visibility is a good thing to keep us remembering history.

I also can’t wait to share with you some photos of the church and its grounds at some point. It’s a very pretty place and one I enjoy very much.

Notes for future snarfers: The library parking lot is very handy for this marker (including accessible spots for those who require them). From Independence Blvd, follow the library signs to the parking lot. (Enter the parking lot from E Honeygrove Rd.) The marker is between the library and Independence Blvd.