Origins of The Cismont Community
Report by Ashley M. Williams
When taking a moment to reflect on the vast history of the various neighborhoods that make up the Cismont Community, there is a wide array of information that is often unknown. After diving into Blurred Lines: African American Community, Memory, and Preservation in the Southwest Mountains Rural Historic District, by Niya Bates, and A History of Grace Church: Walker’s Parish, by Barclay Rives it is safe to say that there is no shortage of new knowledge to be learned. Although, these texts aren’t identical they give great insight into what was happening within the various communities during their earlier years. As an African American resident of this community I became increasingly intrigued as I traversed through the extensive background that is my history. Like the story goes for many areas during colonization, slavery was an essential factor in the construction of the neighborhoods of Cismont. There is a relatively massive amount of evidence that proves this to be true. The main problem is that most of the history of African American history lies within the stories passed down from generation to generation. Taking this into consideration, it is especially important to take the time to research and learn more about the histories of our communities.
The early origins of the Southwest Mountains District illustrate a narrative of communities within communities separated by various aspects. Bates writes: “The journey Through Hallowed Ground formally recognizes Keswick as the main village for this area, however Cismont and Cobham would have been equally significant communities, each with their own country stores, schools, neighborhoods, and post office depot—Keswick was the largest, wealthiest, and whitest of these three.” [1]
A large separating factor is most certainly race. Although there is an amicable history of this area it is evident that early African Americans faced extreme hardships, and adversity. The first black people to walk the land of the Southwest Mountains were slaves. Many of the early white families of this area were slaveowners. Bates notes:
“Virginia has a long and storied history of agricultural development. European colonists were drawn to the Piedmont region because they envisioned it as an area that would enable a great deal of success through growing tobacco and wheat and raising livestock. In colonial Albemarle, most of the planters moving into the area came from the Tidewater region where tobacco and swidden agriculture had made them very wealthy men. This type of agriculture relied upon a very large enslaved labor force, which by the mid-eighteenth century was almost exclusively based on race.” [2] As history tells us tobacco wasn’t well-suited for the landscape of the Southwest Mountains leaving owners with an overabundance of slaves. This led to the notion of freeing slaves in turn increasing the free black population. When slaves were legally freed, this didn’t necessarily mean they were free from the opposition associated with systematic racism. After 1865, African Americans were given the task of achieving new success. There were new opportunities to create culture, and identities that were previously unavailable. A good example of this comes from Albert Johnson; a skilled African American carpenter who used his newfound freedoms to construct a large home for his family, and later a second building. In the Southwest Mountains District there were mixed treatments of black residents. While some former slave owners were more than happy to help aid African Americans this was not the mutual feeling of everyone overall. According to Bates, there were three ways newly freed African Americans acquired land: by purchasing it, renting it, or receiving it as a gift. While these residents were now allowed to build and own property, these properties were also purposely “carved out” of the district. This leads to problems later when buildings need restoration. As mentioned before, Albert Johnson built an amazing home for his family known as Breezy Oaks. Today the house needs renovation and preservation, but due to the fact the property has yet to be accepted by an organization it hasn’t been restored. The majority of these African American owned properties were deemed ineligible for the National Register. Bates explains: “In order for a property-owner to be eligible for the credits, the property must be listed on the state or national register of historic places.”[3] In a sense the people who mapped out the historical designation of this area did not truly want to promote and showcase the architectural achievements of its black residents. According to Bates, the district was shaped to highlight the success of its white residents, and thus reflects a one-sided narrative.
After reading these works one point is made sufficiently clear in both communities, church, and having a place of worship is essential. Like many other things churches were also separated by race. For an extended period of time African Americans did not have an official place of worship. According to Bates, as slaves, Blacks were not allowed to attend white churches.
“Other slaves in the Southwest Mountains area attended religious ceremonies alongside their masters. Many of the slaveholding families in Cismont attended Grace Episcopal Church. However, Blacks were not allowed to attend the church and instead they met outside or in their own cabins. If someone wanted to be baptized, then that person would go to their master and make a request.”[4]
Both Bates and Rives garner their focus on the two main churches during this time; Zion Hill Baptist Church and Grace Episcopal Church. The area where Grace Church resides has seen various renditions, the first being an old mountain church built between 1724 and 1727. The latest construction comes after a fire which claimed the church in 1895. When looking into the construction of Grace Church, the names of builders are relatively unknown. In Rive’s text the use of African American labor is referenced but not confirmed. “General Cocke continues with the advice to hire masons “of the colored or slave class” at the rate of $1.00 to $1.50 per day.”[5] Another name connected to the completion of Grace Church is Erasmus S. McSparren. Rives notes: “To complete the interior of Grace Church, Judith Page Rives hired Erasmus S. McSparren, an English Master Carpenter, who had been working in the North.”[6]
According to Bates, Zion Hill Baptist Church was built around the 1870 after John Armstrong Chaloner donated a portion of his land to the black community*. For many years Grace Church was a white only church while Zion Hill was considered the black church. It wasn’t until after 1954 that Grace Church fully integrated. She goes on to say
“the late Anne Gatewood, a resident of Maxfield Road and a deaconess of Zion Hill Baptist Church, claims things were always cordial between whites and blacks, because they grew up together and shared intimate personal relationships with the families. By 1959, Zion Hill Baptist Church and Grace Church, formerly segregated, had fostered an amicable relationship. A document entitled “Zion Hill Organ Fund” lists of names and contributions of Grace Church members toward a $500 Etsy Organ as a gift for the congregation at Zion Hill. Race relations in the area were hot and cold, as evidenced by the fact that the Grace Episcopal Church did not was not fully integrated until sometime after October of 1954 when the vestry minutes report, “The question of colored people being admitted to Grace Church was discussed. No action was taken.”[7]
Bates remarks that history shows that “race relations in the area slowly improved throughout the twentieth Century.”[8] It is interesting to note that due to the gift of the organ that was donated to Zion Hill a cordial relationship was able to form with Zion Hill Baptist Church.
In conclusion, I didn’t realize how oblivious I was as to how much history my community holds. I was more than pleased to read about the steps taken by African Americans to advance and develop their own neighborhoods from churches, to schools, and everything in between. Once freed they took it upon themselves to strive for better lives. My interest was also peaked when reading about how both churches are intertwined through history even though they were segregated for so many years. If I can take one thing from that it’s that church really helps to combine the community regardless of race.
References:
Bates, Niya M. Blurred Lines: African American Community, Memory, and Preservation in the Southwest Mountains Rural Historic District, Thesis for Master of Arts, UVA School of Architecture Apr. 2015; Rives, Barclay A History of Grace Church: Walker's Parish, ©B. Rives 2010.
6/13/2020 This report was written by Ms. Williams as part of the research project and presented at Grace Church at the African American history project committee meeting with Beth Sutton, Rev. G. Miles Smith and Kathie Woods
[1] Bates, p.63
[2] Ibid, p.26
[3] Ibid, p.66
[4] Ibid p. 35
[5] Rives, p.44
[6] Ibid, p.52
*The history of Zion Hill as recorded on their website indicates the land was a gift from Lizzie and Abraham Robinson, who were freed slaves and landowners. Rives states that Chanler’s presence at Merrie Mill dates from 1880.
[7] Bates, pp.56-57
[8] Ibid, p.57
The early origins of the Southwest Mountains District illustrate a narrative of communities within communities separated by various aspects. Bates writes: “The journey Through Hallowed Ground formally recognizes Keswick as the main village for this area, however Cismont and Cobham would have been equally significant communities, each with their own country stores, schools, neighborhoods, and post office depot—Keswick was the largest, wealthiest, and whitest of these three.” [1]
A large separating factor is most certainly race. Although there is an amicable history of this area it is evident that early African Americans faced extreme hardships, and adversity. The first black people to walk the land of the Southwest Mountains were slaves. Many of the early white families of this area were slaveowners. Bates notes:
“Virginia has a long and storied history of agricultural development. European colonists were drawn to the Piedmont region because they envisioned it as an area that would enable a great deal of success through growing tobacco and wheat and raising livestock. In colonial Albemarle, most of the planters moving into the area came from the Tidewater region where tobacco and swidden agriculture had made them very wealthy men. This type of agriculture relied upon a very large enslaved labor force, which by the mid-eighteenth century was almost exclusively based on race.” [2] As history tells us tobacco wasn’t well-suited for the landscape of the Southwest Mountains leaving owners with an overabundance of slaves. This led to the notion of freeing slaves in turn increasing the free black population. When slaves were legally freed, this didn’t necessarily mean they were free from the opposition associated with systematic racism. After 1865, African Americans were given the task of achieving new success. There were new opportunities to create culture, and identities that were previously unavailable. A good example of this comes from Albert Johnson; a skilled African American carpenter who used his newfound freedoms to construct a large home for his family, and later a second building. In the Southwest Mountains District there were mixed treatments of black residents. While some former slave owners were more than happy to help aid African Americans this was not the mutual feeling of everyone overall. According to Bates, there were three ways newly freed African Americans acquired land: by purchasing it, renting it, or receiving it as a gift. While these residents were now allowed to build and own property, these properties were also purposely “carved out” of the district. This leads to problems later when buildings need restoration. As mentioned before, Albert Johnson built an amazing home for his family known as Breezy Oaks. Today the house needs renovation and preservation, but due to the fact the property has yet to be accepted by an organization it hasn’t been restored. The majority of these African American owned properties were deemed ineligible for the National Register. Bates explains: “In order for a property-owner to be eligible for the credits, the property must be listed on the state or national register of historic places.”[3] In a sense the people who mapped out the historical designation of this area did not truly want to promote and showcase the architectural achievements of its black residents. According to Bates, the district was shaped to highlight the success of its white residents, and thus reflects a one-sided narrative.
After reading these works one point is made sufficiently clear in both communities, church, and having a place of worship is essential. Like many other things churches were also separated by race. For an extended period of time African Americans did not have an official place of worship. According to Bates, as slaves, Blacks were not allowed to attend white churches.
“Other slaves in the Southwest Mountains area attended religious ceremonies alongside their masters. Many of the slaveholding families in Cismont attended Grace Episcopal Church. However, Blacks were not allowed to attend the church and instead they met outside or in their own cabins. If someone wanted to be baptized, then that person would go to their master and make a request.”[4]
Both Bates and Rives garner their focus on the two main churches during this time; Zion Hill Baptist Church and Grace Episcopal Church. The area where Grace Church resides has seen various renditions, the first being an old mountain church built between 1724 and 1727. The latest construction comes after a fire which claimed the church in 1895. When looking into the construction of Grace Church, the names of builders are relatively unknown. In Rive’s text the use of African American labor is referenced but not confirmed. “General Cocke continues with the advice to hire masons “of the colored or slave class” at the rate of $1.00 to $1.50 per day.”[5] Another name connected to the completion of Grace Church is Erasmus S. McSparren. Rives notes: “To complete the interior of Grace Church, Judith Page Rives hired Erasmus S. McSparren, an English Master Carpenter, who had been working in the North.”[6]
According to Bates, Zion Hill Baptist Church was built around the 1870 after John Armstrong Chaloner donated a portion of his land to the black community*. For many years Grace Church was a white only church while Zion Hill was considered the black church. It wasn’t until after 1954 that Grace Church fully integrated. She goes on to say
“the late Anne Gatewood, a resident of Maxfield Road and a deaconess of Zion Hill Baptist Church, claims things were always cordial between whites and blacks, because they grew up together and shared intimate personal relationships with the families. By 1959, Zion Hill Baptist Church and Grace Church, formerly segregated, had fostered an amicable relationship. A document entitled “Zion Hill Organ Fund” lists of names and contributions of Grace Church members toward a $500 Etsy Organ as a gift for the congregation at Zion Hill. Race relations in the area were hot and cold, as evidenced by the fact that the Grace Episcopal Church did not was not fully integrated until sometime after October of 1954 when the vestry minutes report, “The question of colored people being admitted to Grace Church was discussed. No action was taken.”[7]
Bates remarks that history shows that “race relations in the area slowly improved throughout the twentieth Century.”[8] It is interesting to note that due to the gift of the organ that was donated to Zion Hill a cordial relationship was able to form with Zion Hill Baptist Church.
In conclusion, I didn’t realize how oblivious I was as to how much history my community holds. I was more than pleased to read about the steps taken by African Americans to advance and develop their own neighborhoods from churches, to schools, and everything in between. Once freed they took it upon themselves to strive for better lives. My interest was also peaked when reading about how both churches are intertwined through history even though they were segregated for so many years. If I can take one thing from that it’s that church really helps to combine the community regardless of race.
References:
Bates, Niya M. Blurred Lines: African American Community, Memory, and Preservation in the Southwest Mountains Rural Historic District, Thesis for Master of Arts, UVA School of Architecture Apr. 2015; Rives, Barclay A History of Grace Church: Walker's Parish, ©B. Rives 2010.
6/13/2020 This report was written by Ms. Williams as part of the research project and presented at Grace Church at the African American history project committee meeting with Beth Sutton, Rev. G. Miles Smith and Kathie Woods
[1] Bates, p.63
[2] Ibid, p.26
[3] Ibid, p.66
[4] Ibid p. 35
[5] Rives, p.44
[6] Ibid, p.52
*The history of Zion Hill as recorded on their website indicates the land was a gift from Lizzie and Abraham Robinson, who were freed slaves and landowners. Rives states that Chanler’s presence at Merrie Mill dates from 1880.
[7] Bates, pp.56-57
[8] Ibid, p.57
