Antioch Baptist Church Appreciation Day slated for Aug. 3 in Saluda

Saturday, Aug. 3, will be celebrated as “Antioch Baptist Church Appreciation Day.” That’s according to the Middlesex County Board of Supervisors, which unanimously voted to issue a special proclamation noting the celebration at its Tuesday, July 9, regular monthly meeting.

In conjunction with the celebration, the unveiling of an Antioch Baptist Church historical highway marker is planned for that day in front of the Middlesex County Historic Courthouse, 865 General Puller Highway, Saluda, with a program prior to the unveiling at the church starting at noon. The church is near the courthouse and is at 159 Oakes Landing Road.

The proclamation states that Antioch Baptist Church was established at Saluda in 1866 by a group of African-American members of the white-led Clark’s Neck Baptist Church, which is now called Saluda Baptist Church.

Historical reflections will be given by the Rev. Dr. Leonard L. Edloe, pastor of New Hope Fellowship Church in Hartfield. Music will be provided by Mary Ann Holmes, soprano, and by the Southside Rappahannock Baptist Association Choir under the direction of Marcellus Dungee.

The Middlesex Museum and Historical Society Inc. and Antioch Baptist Church are joint sponsors of the highway marker. The Virginia Board of Historic Resources, which has the authority to designate new historical markers, approved the marker in June 2022.

All are cordially invited to attend the marker dedication program. It will also be livestreamed on Antioch’s Facebook page.

Info: 804-651-8753 or email antiochbaptist4christ@gmail.com

(Bessida White contributed to this story. White, a Middlesex County resident, is an activist, genealogist and retired attorney whose interests include Africana history and culture, and African-American, women’s, and LGBTQ+ rights.)