LINCONIA, Va. — Founded in 1867, just after the Civil War, Mount Pleasant Baptist Church traces its origins to an extraordinary act of generosity by Charles H. and Eliza Brown. After selling land to newly freed African Americans, they deeded one acre to be used exclusively for religious and school purposes and a "burying ground by and for colored people." That gift became the foundation of one of the oldest African American churches in Fairfax County.
The congregation first worshiped in a simple pine log cabin before constructing a larger church in 1881. The beautiful brick sanctuary that stands today was dedicated in 1931, with an addition completed in 1971. Behind the sanctuary lies the historic cemetery, with at least 75 marked graves and many more unmarked burials dating back to the church's earliest years.
In 2017, the Fairfax County History Commission installed a historical marker recognizing the church and cemetery, ensuring that the stories of this remarkable congregation and the surrounding freedpeople's settlement continue to be remembered.