As early as 1906, Woodstock’s African American community was using this land as a burial site. Prior to this, most African Americans had been buried in the town’s slave cemeteries where many of their ancestors rested. This new site, named…

In his will, dated June 16, 1822, Reuben Moore gave one-half acre of land in Mt. Jackson for the use of a meeting house, school house, and burying ground to be used by “all Christian Ministers of any society.” Though Moore would not die until…

In 1874 Edinburg’s citizens began a lottery to fund the construction of a school in town. These efforts proved to be successful, and in 1876 what became known as the Edinburg Graded and High School, or the Cedar Hill Academy, was opened. The…

The first school for Strasburg’s African American population was called the Queen Street School and was located at the end of West Queen Street. That building housed grades 1-7 until 1929 when it burned. A new school, called Sunset Hill Colored…

The Smith Creek Baptist Church was formed on August 6, 1756. The area that is now known as New Market was called Crossroads because it was at the intersection of the area’s major north-south and east-west roads. A community had emerged around this…

Around 1886, Margaret Muse Pennybacker completed this house. Her ancestors had been influential commercial leaders in the area and had acquired a great fortune from numerous iron furnaces. They had also been major slaveholders and harsh taskmasters.…