Community Corner
Chesterfield's History Preserved in Unexpected Places
Between I-64 and Chesterfield Mall off the Chesterfield Parkway, sits a small, tranquil spot of land containing the graves of slaves and former slaves.
Every day, thousands of drivers passing through Chesterfield on I-64 brush by a piece of American history, likely without realizing it.
On a small plot of land just off Chesterfield Parkway West sits a neatly manicured cemetery with weathered tombstones shaded by spreading tree branches.
The graves, some more than 100 years old, belong to the congregates and former slaves of one area's the earliest African-American churches, First Baptist Church.
The church has since relocated but it started in that spot in 1846 on land donated to the slaves in Chesterfield and the surrounding area by slave owner Maria Long.
A plaque on the cemetery's entrance tells more of the story:
"On this plot of land, the adult slaves built a crude log cabin, which functioned as the first church building. Together, these slaves labored to establish their own place of worship, where they prayed standing, sitting and on their knees. With freedom for a life of bondage, the people worshipped and served the God they loved and trusted."
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