WILLIAMSBURG, Va. — Crews have started working on rebuilding the historic First Baptist Church in Colonial Williamsburg.
Freed and enslaved African Americans originally formed the church in 1776. Since December 2020, archaeologists have been digging at the site near the intersection of Nassau and Francis streets, to uncover what history they can find.
The work, with the blessing and guidance of descendants of the church, has led to major discoveries. Those findings include a pair of building foundations dating back to the early 1800s. Researchers also found dozens of burial sites.
Back in February, the project received a $3 million grant to fund efforts, including the reconstruction of the church’s original structure.
On Friday, descendants of the church thanked the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation's Brickyard, which is creating the bricks to rebuild the historic church. Members of the descendant community were invited to sign their names on these bricks that will be used in the reconstruction and so far, more than 4,000 bricks have been signed.
Work on rebuilding the First Baptist Church is estimated to be completed in 2026.
(Editors note: The story has been edited to correct the number of bricks that have been signed.)