Shenandoah Valley Black Heritage Project

An Introduction to the Early African-American Communities of the Shenandoah Valley

Our world is changing.  Many of us live in communities with neighbors from all over the world.  

In the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, there is the saying, you are "from here or come here".  It is in reference to the families that have ancestors dating back to the late 1700's and 1800's versus those families that moved here, even if it was many years ago.   

Following the Civil War, many Black families stayed in the Valley.   Most whose ancestors had already been here for several generations.   Some of the communities that started at that time still exist today and some have long since disappeared.  Almost all had at least one church, a school and a cemetery.  Some communities had post offices and their own aid societies, to help with burial costs for those who needed it.  

Here is an introduction to a few of those early communities.  I have added a "Zenda" subpage and will be adding more for other communities.  This is a work in progress and I will update this information, so please check back.  (I will date each update at the top of this section.) 
 
There are three sub pages; "Zenda",  "Churches" and "Final Resting Places".

Photos by Robin Lyttle and from William Good's book
"Slavery When Humans Were Sold As Chattel" 

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www.valleyblackheritage.org;  Director (540 746-2088), directormlr@valleyblackheritage.org;  Mailing address: SVBHP, 425 Hill St., Harrisonburg, VA 22802
​EIN 81-1709430