Early Black Churches

Prior to the end of the Civil War, enslaved people were encouraged to worship at their owner's churches.  Provision was made for them to enter by a separate door and sit separately, usually in a balcony.  The interior architecture of most antebellum churches in Louisa County still reflects this arrangement.

After the war, black congregations were started across the county.  Here black men and women could exercise their own leadership and worship preferences.