Virginia Department of Historic Resources
(dhr.virginia.gov)
For Immediate Release
April 2026
Contact:
Ivy Tan
Department of Historic Resources
Marketing & Communications Manager
ivy.tan@dhr.virginia.gov
804-482-6445
—The marker focuses on the history of the church starting with its founding in 1774—
—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 will be dedicated in King and Queen County this weekend highlighting the history of the Upper King and Queen Baptist Church, which was constituted in 1774 in the Colony of Virginia by Baptist dissenters of the established Church of England.
The marker dedication will be held Saturday, April 11, starting at 2 p.m., at the church and marker site, located on 1693 Bradley Farm Road in Tappahannock (22560). Guests may park at the church’s parking lot. This event is free and open to members of the public.
The dedication ceremony will begin with welcome remarks and an invocation by Dr. David Peppler Sr., pastor at Upper King & Queen Baptist Church. Also scheduled to speak at the ceremony are the Rev. Nathan L. Taylor, executive director of the Virginia Baptist Historical Society, and Jennifer Loux, Ph.D., DHR’s historical marker program manager. The marker’s unveiling will take place at the conclusion of the ceremony. A reception will be held in the church’s social hall following the dedication event.
In the 18th century, the Baptist denomination in the colony of Virginia quickly expanded despite restrictions imposed by the established Church of England on those who dissented from its teachings. Upper King and Queen Baptist Church in King and Queen County was constituted in 1774. The congregation grew after the Revolutionary War under the leadership of pastor Theodorick Noel. Two influential leaders and writers who ranked among the nation’s most significant Baptist clergymen, pastors Robert Baylor Semple (1813-1827) and Andrew Broaddus I (1827-1848), were both baptized at Upper King and Queen. The present sanctuary was dedicated in 1861, when the church boasted more than 600 members, about half of whom were White and half Black. The church’s Black members left and established First Mount Olive Baptist Church after the end of the Civil War.
The Virginia Board of Historic Resources, which is authorized to designate new state historical markers, approved the manufacture and installation of the Upper King and Queen Baptist Church historical marker in June 2025. The church covered the manufacturing cost of the marker.
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:
Upper King and Queen Baptist Church
When this church was constituted in 1774, the Baptist denomination in Virginia was rapidly expanding despite restrictions imposed on dissenters from the established Church of England. The congregation grew after the Revolutionary War under the leadership of pastor Theodorick Noel. Pastors Robert Baylor Semple (1813-1827) and Andrew Broaddus I (1827-1848), both baptized here, were influential leaders and writers who ranked among the nation’s most prominent Baptist clergymen. By 1861, when the present sanctuary was dedicated, the church had more than 600 members, about half White and half Black. After the Civil War, Black members departed and formed First Mount Olive Baptist Church.
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