The Berkleytown Historic District was a traditionally African American community located in the Town of Ashland in Hanover County, which was developed in response to a segregation ordinance issued by the town in 1911, as well as other forms of racial discrimination at that time. During this period of limited educational, employment, economic, and political opportunities, the district’s residents relied on strong communal ties to one another and to the Black-owned businesses that supported the neighborhood. The 110-acre neighborhood was established just to the north of the downtown area of Ashland and functioned as a largely self-sufficient community, as it included not only single-family houses but also restaurants and shops, a school, funeral homes and other resources. Although most of the surviving buildings in the Berkleytown Historic District were constructed in the middle of the 20th century, there are some surviving buildings that date between circa 1910 and circa 1923.