St. Mark Baptist

Built shortly after the Civil War, the church is still located on its original site on Old Factory Road in the lower portion of Louisa County. The church operated a school for African-American children in the area from the early 1900s until about 1964 when its students were transferrer to the newly constructed Shelfar school.

In the front of the church is a baptismal pool beside which the men of the church gathered for discussions of local concerns. In one of our Oral Histories, Mr. Steve Fleming, now of Goochland County, recalled going with his father and uncles to the gatherings and hearing the leaders urge people to help care for the roads, pay their poll tax and vote, and be involved in other civil issues.

The church is vibrant today and recently added significantly to the church structure. The old portion of the church appears on the left side in the photo.