15008 Lee Hwy., Gainesville, Virginia. County/parish: Prince William.
Added to the National Register of Historic Places February 19, 2021. NRIS 100006159.
1 contributing building. 1 contributing site. 1 contributing object.Also known as:
Mount Pleasant Baptist Church and Cemetery a historic Baptist church and cemetery located in Gainesville, Prince William County, Virginia along U.S. Route 29. It is located on the site of a former community of black slaves emancipated after the American Civil War historically known as The Settlement and hosts a congregation tracing back to the 1870s. Built in 1928, the current building replaces three other church buildings that had existed in the community.
In 2012, Mount Pleasant Baptist Church would be subject to an arson attack, which left significant damage in latter additions to the building. The perpetrator of the attack, white nationalist hate group Wolves of Vinland member Maurice Thomson Michaely, would plea guilty to charges related to the attack and served two and a half years in jail and was ordered to pay restitution. The church has been closed to churchgoers and under repair since.
The site of the church and cemetery was added to the Virginia Landmarks Register in 2020 and the National Register of Historic Places in 2021.
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