Virginia Baptist Historical Society

06/04/2026

Program Update: Our friend Melissa Rogers unfortunately sends her deepest regrets at not being able to be with us this evening due to an untimely illness. We wish her a swift recovery! While we will miss her presence, we are pleased to share that our dear friend and renowned church and state expert - and longtime VBHS member - J. Brent Walker, executive director emeritus of BJC will be stepping in for the keynote address, sharing his perspective on our theme: What Baptists Got Right at the Founding and Why It Matters Today. We can think of no one better prepared to do so and look forward to seeing everyone soon! 7:15 pm, River Road Church, Baptist

05/25/2026

Join us! baptistheritage.org/meeting/

05/23/2026

It was a delight to be with the Goshen Baptist Association ministers’ group in recent weeks to reflect upon the Baptist role in disestablishment and religious freedom more broadly, especially through the relationship of Madison with early Va Baptist leaders like John Leland and Aaron Bledsoe. The historic Goshen Association is the custodian of Leland-Madison Park, which commemorates these contributions.

05/15/2026

Thank you, BGAV - Baptist General Association of Virginia for helping us get the word out!

BGAV's ministry partner, Virginia Baptist Historical Society, invites you to its 2026 Annual Meeting and 150th anniversary celebration at River Road Church, Baptist, on Thursday, June 4 beginning at 6:00 p.m. The meeting will reflect on 150 years of the work of VBHS as well as 250 years of the United States.

The evening will open with various greetings, including reflections from BGAV president and chief of the Chickahominy Tribe, Stephen R. Adkins, followed by news of the VBHS and the keynote address from Melissa Rogers: "What Baptists Got Right at the Founding and Why It Matters Today."

Registration for the 6:00 p.m. dinner is required; attendance at the annual meeting (beginning at 7:15 p.m.) is open to everyone.https://baptistheritage.org/meeting/

04/23/2026

Congratulations to Upper King & Queen Baptist Church in Newtown on their new historical marker, unveiled on Saturday, April 11. It was a beautiful moment in the church’s long history to continue recognizing their more than 250 years in the community. UK&QBC originated from the ministry of Lewis Craig and others of the early generation of dissenting preachers who were so frequently arrested and imprisoned, including John Waller, James Greenwood and Joseph Craig, just to name a few. Theodorick Noel, Robert Baylor Semple and Andrew Broaddus are counted among their early pastors. Special thanks to the congregation and especially to Joyce Mitchell whose passionate advocacy for preserving the church’s history culminated in this day. James Ryland shared family recollections from generations of involvement. We are grateful, as well, for the work of DHR and Dr. Jennifer Loux, who was on hand to share about the process and educational mission of the state highway marker program. Nathan Taylor of VBHS shared the guest reflection on the role of the church and its ministers in the context of the Virginia dissenters’ struggle for disestablishment and subsequent growth of the Baptist movement.

04/13/2026

150 YEARS of VBHS
Join us for the 150th Anniversary Meeting of VBHS, June 4th in Richmond.

VBHS Annual Meeting & 150th Anniversary June 4, 2026 Annual Meeting Join us for the Annual Meeting and 150th Anniversary of the Virginia Baptist Historical Society, at River Road Church, Baptist, on Thursday, June 4, with dinner at 6 pm (fellowship hall), followed by the program at 7:15 in the sanct...

04/11/2026

Join us, if you are in the area...

Contact: Ivy Tan Department of Historic Resources Marketing & Communications Manager [email protected] 804-482-6445

03/16/2026

Due to severe weather, VBHS will be closed Monday, March 16.

02/16/2026

Please note that VBHS is closed for the Presidents' Day holiday (2/16).

01/19/2026

“Through our scientific and technological genius, we have made of this world a neighborhood and yet we have not had the ethical commitment to make of it a brotherhood. But somehow, and in some way, we have got to do this. We must all learn to live together as brothers or we will all perish together as fools. We are tied together in the single garment of destiny, caught in an inescapable network of mutuality. And whatever affects one directly affects all indirectly.” - Excerpt from “Remaining Awake Through a Great Revolution,” Martin Luther King, Jr., March 31, 1968, Washington National Cathedral.