CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA (CVILLE RIGHT NOW) – Bright Hope Baptist Church and Cemetery in Louisa County has been selected to receive one of 11 new historical markers from the Department of Historic Resources, the department announced Thursday.
The Louisa County church carries a rich history. It emerged from Oak Grove Baptist in the 1880s, was founded by freed people and led by Rev. Fountain M. Perkins, a formerly enslaved man who went on to become a landowner and member of the Virginia House of Delegates.
Emerging in the aftermath of the Civil War, Bright Hope was reportedly built with lumber salvaged from salvaged from a house that had been damaged in the Battle of Trevilian Station.
The church’s cemetery, established in 1957, also houses its fair share of history, with veterans of World War I and II buried on its grounds. The church also reconsolidated with Oak Grove in 1979.
The 11 new markers were approved by the Virginia Board of Historic Resources on Sept. 17 during its quarterly meeting.
With the new markers now approved, it can take upwards of eight months for the markers to be ready for installation. The $3,000 manufacturing expenses will be covered by each marker’s sponsor.
