Virginia Department of Historic Resources
(dhr.virginia.gov)
For Immediate Release
March 2026
Contact:
Ivy Tan
Department of Historic Resources
Marketing & Communications Manager
ivy.tan@dhr.virginia.gov
804-482-6445
—The church traces its origins to 1850 and was formally organized ca. 1866—
—Text of marker reproduced below—
PLEASE NOTE: DHR creates markers not to “honor” their subjects but rather to educate and inform the public about a person, place, or event of regional, state, or national importance. In this regard, erected markers are not memorials.
RICHMOND – The Virginia Department of Historic Resources (DHR) has announced that a state historical marker approved by the Virginia Board of Historic Resources has been dedicated in Chesterfield County for First Baptist Church Bermuda Hundred, a 19th-century church located on the site of what was the colonial-era central marketplace of Bermuda Hundred, where slave auctions were held.
The marker dedication was held Saturday, March 28, starting at 11 a.m., outside the church, located at 4603 Bermuda Hundred Road in Chester (23836). This event was free and open to members of the public.
A dedication program took place on the grounds of the church before the marker unveiling. The Rev. Herbert C. Townes of Chesterfield Historical Society of Virginia’s African American History Committee (AAHC) served as the dedication’s master of ceremonies. The Rev. Michael G. Stith, pastor at First Baptist Church Bermuda Hundred, led the invocation following the libation ceremony led by Richmond’s Ilu Ominira of Drums of Liberation. Among the individuals who gave remarks are Charlotte B. Wood, chair of Chesterfield Historical Society of Virginia’s AAHC; Chesterfield County Administrator Joseph P. Casey, Ph.D.; Minister Gloria Hewlett of First Baptist Church Bermuda Hundred; the Rev. Benjamin Campbell, pastor emeritus at Richmond Hill Ecumenical Retreat; the Hon. Jim Ingle of the Chesterfield County Board of Supervisors; Martha Atkinson, executive administrator at the Chesterfield Historical Society of Virginia; and Amanda Terrell, director of DHR’s Community Services Division. A celebration dance performed by Oluremi Sa-Ra took place shortly before the marker’s unveiling.
While it was formally established in circa 1866, the origins of First Baptist Church Bermuda Hundred in present-day Chesterfield County date to 1850. The church is located at a former central marketplace of the colonial period known as Bermuda Hundred, which became one of Virginia’s official trade ports in 1691. Transatlantic slave ships brought thousands of enslaved Africans to Bermuda Hundred to be sold. After circa 1750, when the demand for laborers increased in the newly settled southern Piedmont region of Virginia, Bermuda Hundred became one of the Commonwealth’s largest slave auction sites. Most enslaved Africans who disembarked in Bermuda Hundred, including many children, were sent to tobacco plantations, where planters profited from their labor. The Rev. Curtis W. Harris, a Civil Rights leader, became pastor of First Baptist Church Bermuda Hundred in 1959.
The Virginia Board of Historic Resources, which is authorized to designate new state historical markers, approved the manufacture and installation of the historical marker for First Baptist Church Bermuda Hundred in March 2025. The manufacturing cost of the marker was covered by its sponsor, the Chesterfield Historical Society of Virginia.
Virginia’s historical highway marker program began in 1927 with installation of the first markers along U.S. Route 1. It is considered the oldest such program in the nation. Currently there are more than 2,600 state markers, mostly maintained by the Virginia Department of Transportation, except in those localities outside of VDOT’s authority.
Full Text of Marker:
First Baptist Church Bermuda Hundred
First Baptist Church Bermuda Hundred traces its origins to 1850 and was formally organized ca. 1866. The Rev. Curtis W. Harris, a Civil Rights leader, became pastor here in 1959. The church stands on the former central marketplace of Bermuda Hundred, which became one of Virginia’s official ports in 1691. Transatlantic slave ships brought thousands of enslaved Africans here to be sold. When demand for labor surged in the newly settled southern Piedmont after about 1750, this became one of Virginia’s largest slave auction sites. Most enslaved Africans who disembarked here, including many children, were marched to tobacco plantations in the interior, where planters profited from their labor.
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