ARLINGTON, Va. — Founded in 1866 by formerly enslaved residents of Freedman's Village, the congregation of Mount Zion Baptist Church began as the Old Bell Churchon the former Arlington estate of Robert E. Lee. As the federal government closed Freedman's Village in the 1880s, the church relocated to what would become Arlington County, carrying with it the original church bell that inspired its first name.
The congregation was displaced a second time in 1942 when its sanctuary was condemned to make way for the road network serving the newly constructed Pentagon. Undeterred, church members purchased land in Green Valley, where they dedicated their present sanctuary in 1945. The building was designed by Romulus C. Archer Jr., one of the first licensed African American architects in Washington, D.C.

Community historians credit Mount Zion, together with Mount Olive Baptist Church, with helping establish two of Arlington's historic Black neighborhoods following the closure of Freedman's Village. Mount Zion's members settled in Green Valley, where the church has remained a spiritual and community anchor for generations.

An Arlington County historical marker at the corner of South Kenmore and South 19th Streets commemorates Mount Zion Baptist Church's remarkable journey and recognizes its distinction as the oldest African American congregation in Arlington County.

Today, more than 160 years after its founding, Mount Zion Baptist Church continues to serve the Green Valley community while preserving an extraordinary chapter of Arlington's history. A visit offers a powerful connection to the origins of Arlington's oldest African American congregation and the enduring legacy of the families who established the Green Valley community.

📸: absolonkent.net/photogallery/index.php?/category/731

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