Virginia Department of Historic Resources Virginia Department of Historic Resources
For additional information, read the Nomination Form PDF
VLR Listing Date 09/10/2003
NRHP Listing Date 01/16/2004
NRHP Reference Number 03001423
Alfred Street Baptist Church is listed under the multiple property documentation form for African American Historic Resources of Alexandria, Virginia. The church is home to the oldest African American congregation in the city of Alexandria and one of the oldest in the Washington area. Its 1880s façade is reminiscent of the Romanesque Revival, and it is highly likely that black craftsmen designed and built it. The church’s educational branch was organized by 1820 to provide religious and secular instruction for both children and adult African Americans, despite legal restrictions on such activities. Its library was one of the first open to African Americans. A hospital during the Civil War, the Alfred Street Baptist Church building has been in continuous use for religious purposes since 1855. The congregation dates to 1803, when it held meetings in the homes of its members or along the banks of the Potomac River.
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Abbreviations:
VLR: Virginia Landmarks Register
NPS: National Park Service
NRHP: National Register of Historic Places
NHL: National Historic Landmark
Updated: March 16, 2023
