Virginia has been marking its history along its highways for nearly a century. The state’s Department of Historic Resources has announced a set of new signs that will be going up, some of which cover sites associated with the Civil War and Reconstruction. You can find a complete list of the new signs here. The descriptions and inscriptions were supplied by by the state agency.
A…marker bound for Chesterfield County recounts the antebellum roots and Reconstruction-era history of First Baptist Church of Midlothian, the oldest African American congregation in present-day Chesterfield County. The church traces back to 1846 and the First African Baptist Church of Coalfield. After the Civil War, the church called its first Black pastor, and in 1877 purchased land, built a new sanctuary, and renamed itself First Baptist Church of Midlothian.
Emmanuel Quivers (1814-1879) was born into slavery on Berkeley Plantation in Charles City County, where a marker will be placed. Quivers became a highly skilled “enslaved wage earner” at the Tredegar Iron Works in Richmond and, in 1852, along with his wife, Frances, he purchased his family’s freedom and departed for California. As a community leader, he advocated for educating African American children and allowing Blacks to testify against whites.
A future marker in Lancaster County recalls Armistead S. Nickens (ca. 1836-1906). He was born into a family of free people that included at least 12 veterans of the Revolutionary War. In 1871, Nickens won election to the House of Delegates and served two terms as Lancaster’s first Black elected official. He is credited with establishing one of the county’s first schools for African Americans.
Full Text of Markers:
(VDOT must approve the proposed locations for each sign or public works in jurisdictions outside VDOT’s authority.)
Emanuel Quivers (1814-1879)
Emanuel Quivers was born into slavery on Berkeley Plantation to Jonathan and Sarah Quivers. Trained as a blacksmith, in 1845 Quivers became an enslaved wage earner at the Tredegar Iron Works in Richmond. There he learned the closely guarded puddling technique for manufacturing high-grade iron, rising to supervise a large group of artisans and laborers. He and his wife, Frances, were early members of the First African Baptist Church in Richmond. In 1852, he and Frances purchased their family’s freedom and left for California. As a community leader, Quivers advocated for educating African American children and for laws allowing persons of color to testify against whites.
Sponsor: Charles City County Richard M. Bowman Center for Local History; Victoria Wassmer
Locality: Charles City County
Proposed Location: South side of Route 5 near Berkeley Plantation
First Baptist Church of Midlothian
The First African Baptist Church of Coalfield was constituted on 8 Feb. 1846 with six white and 54 enslaved and free black members from Spring Creek Baptist Church, formerly Cox’s Meeting House. The congregation, required by law to have a white pastor, initially met about a mile southeast of here in a log building at the Midlothian Coal Mining Company coalpits. After the Civil War, the church called its first black pastor and joined the Colored Shiloh Baptist Association. The congregation purchased land here after a fire in 1877, built a new sanctuary, and renamed itself First Baptist Church of Midlothian. This is the oldest African American congregation in present-day Chesterfield County.
Sponsor: First Baptist Church of Midlothian History Ministry
Locality: Chesterfield County
Proposed Location: 13800 Westfield Road
Armistead S. Nickens (ca. 1836-1906)
Armistead Nickens was born into a family of free people of color that included at least 12 veterans of the Revolutionary War. In 1867 the local agent of the Freedmen’s Bureau identified him as a strong potential candidate for public office. After attending Virginia’s Republican State Convention in Sept. 1871, Nickens won election to the House of Delegates that year and served two terms, becoming Lancaster County’s first Black elected official. According to oral tradition, he was an early advocate of what, decades later, became the Downing Bridge. He is credited with building one of the county’s first schools for African Americans. Nickens owned more than 150 acres of land by 1906.
Sponsor: The Nickens Family
Locality: Lancaster County
Proposed Location: Kamps Mill Road, just south of Camps Millpond
