Laurel Grove Baptist Church
"The Little Church by the Side of the Road"
"The Little Church by the Side of the Road"
Church History
The history of Laurel Grove Baptist Church is a history rich in commitment to God and the Franconia community. The stately house of worship, quaintly known as "The Church by the Side of the Road," is not the result of an accident. In 1884, a group of neighbors, George Carroll, Middleton Braxton, Thornton Gray, Laurenda Huntger, William and Georgeanna Jasper, and Elizabeth Lomax, realized that Black families in Franconia had no convenient place to worship except in their homes or walk 13 miles to the Alfred Street Baptist Church located in Alexandria City. Behind the church is the cemetery where the founding families are buried.
On May 10, 1884, William Jasper and his wife, Georgeanna, did will and bequest a 1/2 acre of land to build Laurel Grove Baptist Church. The church was built next to the the Laurel Grove Colored School. The name came from the large flowering laurel bushes that would grow under the large chestnut trees. This act is duly recorded in Deed Book E; No 5,page 383 in Fairfax County. On June 13, 2009, family hiers and community leaders from Fairfax County unveiled the historical landmark sign for the school and church.
Laurel Grove Baptist Church's future, from its beginning, was vested in dedication to God, and the Christian principles of loving, caring, giving, and sharing. It was through these principles and physical efforts of the original founders noted above, the church became a physical reality. The actual location of the church was predicated on the location of a nearby rail station which was within reasonable walking distance of the church. Thus, the legacy, history, and legend began to unfold, sustained by prayer, faith, hope, love, and the dreams that have lasted 125 years.
Over the past 125 years, Laurel Grove has been blessed with fourteen pastors. The church is currently under the spiritual leadership of our Interim Pastor Evelyn Henderson King.
On May 10, 1884, William Jasper and his wife, Georgeanna, did will and bequest a 1/2 acre of land to build Laurel Grove Baptist Church. The church was built next to the the Laurel Grove Colored School. The name came from the large flowering laurel bushes that would grow under the large chestnut trees. This act is duly recorded in Deed Book E; No 5,page 383 in Fairfax County. On June 13, 2009, family hiers and community leaders from Fairfax County unveiled the historical landmark sign for the school and church.
Laurel Grove Baptist Church's future, from its beginning, was vested in dedication to God, and the Christian principles of loving, caring, giving, and sharing. It was through these principles and physical efforts of the original founders noted above, the church became a physical reality. The actual location of the church was predicated on the location of a nearby rail station which was within reasonable walking distance of the church. Thus, the legacy, history, and legend began to unfold, sustained by prayer, faith, hope, love, and the dreams that have lasted 125 years.
Over the past 125 years, Laurel Grove has been blessed with fourteen pastors. The church is currently under the spiritual leadership of our Interim Pastor Evelyn Henderson King.
