Cartersville Baptist Church
Posted by: Groundspeak Premium Member flyingmoose
N 38° 56.618 W 077° 18.747
18S E 299590 N 4313064
Right off the Dulles toll road along Hunter Mill Rd. Parking is very accessable right at the base of the marker as it sits in the parking lot of the church.
Waymark Code: WMDH4
Location: Virginia, United States
Date Posted: 05/26/2006
Published By:Groundspeak Regular Member dustyroades
Views: 55

Exerpt from the sign:
According to tradition, free African-Americans established a religeous congregation, which met in private homes, in this area as early as 1863. Rose Carter, a member of the community, donated land for a church in 1903. The church served the residents of Cartersville and the nearby enclave of Woodentown. The building also served as a school after 1927. Ther original church stood until 1951 when it was rebuilt. After a fire in 1972 the church was rebuilt again and rededicated in 1979. The church still serves as a place of worship for many decendants of the original congregation who are buried here.

Exerpt from a news article:
Cartersville Baptist Church, Hunter Mill Road, Reston Currently, nestled among office plazas, single-family and estate homes, and the Dulles Toll Road, Cartersville Baptist Church was first built in 1863 by freedmen from Oak Grove Baptist Church in Herndon. They used the existing Washington and Old Dominion Railroad to travel to the church — the current W&OD Trail owned and maintained by the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority. Many families also traveled from what is now the Tysons Corner area. The land, itself, has a storied history. Originally, the church did not own the property. The first documented owner, Bethia Fairfax, purchased the land for $65 in 1848, but her ownership dates back to 1846. Fairfax received 36 acres of land, including a spring and a hickory tree, which is still standing. While her sons, who could pass as white, were registered in the Freed Negro registry, she was not. Assuming her children would get the land at her death, Fairfax left no will. Still, each child was left 1/7 of the land. One daughter, Rosie Carter, lived on the land with her children and other free blacks when construction of the church began in 1863. An active member in the church until her death in 1906, the church bears the name of Rosie Carter. The church paid $5 for its land in 1903. They had a baptismal creek near Hunter's Station. A second church was built on the original site in 1951 but burned completely to the ground in 1972. Cartersville's third church is the home of the current congregation. Deacon Wooden's grave is the only visible marker indicating the cemetery lying beneath the parking lot. The church served as a school until the establishment of the Louise Archer School in Vienna. Some of the students would take the train to Hunter Mill Post Office and then walk. And one teacher would take the train from Washington, D.C., daily.

Marker Title: Cartersville Baptist Church

Marker Location: Fairfax county

County or Independent City: Fairfax county

Marker Program Sponsor: Fairfax County History Commission 2005

Marker Number: Not listed

Web Site: Not listed

Search for...
Geocaching.com Google Map
Google Maps
MapQuest
Bing Maps
Nearest Waymarks
Nearest Virginia Historical Markers
Nearest Geocaches
Create a scavenger hunt using this waymark as the center point
Recent Visits/Logs:
Date Logged Log  
Searcher28 visited Cartersville Baptist Church 06/25/2017 Searcher28 visited it
40 visited Cartersville Baptist Church 05/06/2009 40 visited it
Banshee Reeks visited Cartersville Baptist Church 01/13/2006 Banshee Reeks visited it

View all visits/logs