Mt. Zion Methodist Church

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In 1868 the African American residents of Strasburg Virginia banded together to found Mt. Zion Methodist Church after being inspired by a series of travelling Methodist Missionaries that visited the town and organized religious meeting. That same year Washington Carter became the congregation's first minister.

The congregation was able to acquire land and construct their first church in 1869. Church tradition holds a cabin in the Fishers Hill community was acquired, dismantled, and moved to the church's Queen Street site to serve as a house of worship. This building would remodeled and expanded in 1885, 1907,and 1913. These projects included the construction of a bell tower, finishing of the interior, cladding the building in siding, and additions on the front and rear.

Throughout its history Mt. Zion has been an important part of the Strasburg community, especially in the lives of its African American citizens. In a segregated society the church hosted most of the social, educational, and political events reserved for African American residents. These included bush meetings, church rallies, school plays, and Christmas programs. It also sponsored sports teams and helped fund the local segregated school.

Today Mt. Zion remains an active congregation that is part of the United Methodist Church's Shenandoah Valley charge that includes Woodstock and Strasburg's historically black churches. It also maintains the adjourning Mt. Zion Methodist Church Cemetery which dates to around 1901 and is the community's historically black cemetery.