Yesterday we went to a pair of history-related events near Leesburg. They honored the enslaved people of the Carter Plantation (Oatlands) and the freed people who settled nearby after the Civil War. Here we see an event at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Loudoun, where a marker was unveiled.The church was originally the Mt. Olive Methodist Episcopal Church of Gleedsville. It was built in 1890.
The new Civil War Trails Marker tells the story of Martin Buchanan, who in 1863 left his existence as a slave at the plantation and joined the Union Army. It also summarizes the story of the village of Gleedsville, founded by African-Americans after the Civil War.
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| Unveiling the Marker |
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| Click on the Picture to See a Larger Version |
Joining current church members for the event were history buffs and people whose families came from Gleedsville. Some remembered attending church here.
The signs tells us that the village was found by recently freed families — Gleeds. Buchanans, Days, Turners, Allens, Valentines, Johnsons, and Washingtons; and those previously free —Bryants, Thorntons, and Murrays.
My sister attends the church that currently meets here and this is where memorial services were held for my parents.
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What a great bit of history Linda. Tom The Backroads Traveller
ReplyDeleteVery educational experience. That's a pretty church. I love small country churches.
ReplyDeleteA lot of history- and well worth commemorating.
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