George Washington helped design Pohick Church in Lorton, Va., but enslaved people did much of the construction. Now they’re being commemorated by new plaques.
To honor their contributions, Pohick Church installed bronze plaques Tuesday with the names of all known individuals who worked on the structure, including those in bondage. The markers were placed inside the Episcopal church on the back wall near two other historical signs and will be dedicated in a ceremony Saturday.“We fully embrace our historic and spiritual heritage,” the Rev. Lynn Ronaldi, the church’s rector, said in a statement.
“We were able to identify many different individuals,” he said. “They include 25 enslaved people, as well as an infant and at least one indentured servant. Presumably, the infant was the child of one of the enslaved working on the new church.”Known as the “Mother Church of Northern Virginia,” Pohick was the first permanent church north of the Occoquan River in the Virginia colony.
“The two were in disagreement about where to put the new church,” Ronaldi said in an interview. “Mason wanted another location while Washington advocated for this site. They went before the vestry in 1767, where Washington made a compelling argument and got approval.”The land for the new church was sold to the vestry by local plantation owner Daniel French, who also agreed to erect the new building at a cost of 877 Virginia pounds, or about $160,000 today.
According to Hamly, many likely lived in slave quarters near the construction site. Most were probably also compelled to work in the plantation fields during busy periods.
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