Virginia Special Advertising Section
100
it still on duty at the Old Coast Guard Station.
The Morning Star Baptist Church, founded in 1892 by several members of Ebenezer Baptist Church, is one of the oldest
African-American churches still standing in Virginia Beach. Church members are collecting memorabilia and artifacts that
depict the lives of local African-Americans
from 1892 to the late 1950s, which are on
display periodically.
FAIRFAX COUNTY
Explore the history and culture of
African-Americans in Northern Virginia
and the Washington D.C. Region, from the
18th century to today. Visit Gum Springs
Historical Site (the oldest African-
American community in Fairfax County,
founded by freed George Washington slave
West Ford), the Lincoln Memorial, and the
Smithsonian National Museum of African
Art. The African American Heritage experi-
ence offers visitors the opportunity to jour-
ney through, and reflect on, the struggles as
well as the important contributions of
African-Americans in the area's history.
Check out the Sully Historic Site. The
home of Richard Bland Lee, northern Virginia's first congressman, the main house at Sully was built in 1794. The house is
furnished with antiques of the federal period. Outbuildings include a kitchen, smokehouse, slave quarters and stone dairy.
Formal and kitchen gardens complement the house. Educational programs, craft demonstrations and living history events
are offered throughout the year, along with guided tours, highlighting the early 19th century life of the Lee Family, tenant
farmers, and enslaved African-Americans. The site is included on the National Register of Historic Places.
George Washington's Mount Vernon Estate
Photo Credit: Fairfax County CVC
Black Meetings & Tourism February/March 2009: www.blackmeetingsandtourism.com
