Hopewell Baptist Church Cemetery - Sperryville VA
N 38° 39.350 W 078° 14.623
17S E 739843 N 4282190
The Hopewell Church Cemetery is also known as the Black Cemetery and was originally established in the 1870s. It is a part of the African-American heritage of Sperryville.
Waymark Code: WMDRZ2
Location: Virginia, United States
Date Posted: 02/20/2012
Views: 2
A cemetery with approximately 50-75 graves rests on a hilltop on Oventop Mountain Ln. in Sperryville, VA. Very little is written about this graveyard and there are no signs to identify it on site. The
Scheel map
for Rappahannock County labels it as the Hopewell Baptist Church Cemetery.
Several historic references mention that Caroline Terry (Sister Caroline) and James Arthur Engham, both born slaves, were prominent figures in the African-American history of Sperryville. In 1873, after the Civil War and her emancipation, Caroline was instrumental in organizing the Hopewell Baptist Church in Sperryville. The church established a cemetery on land purchased from James Engham off Route 211. The Hopewell Church was moved and rebuilt, but the cemetery remains. A Civil War Trails marker in Sperryville says Sister Caroline "is buried in the “black cemetery” on Oven Top Road[sic]" and indeed, a headstone for Caroline Terry is found in this cemetery on Oventop Mountain Lane.
References: