Middleburg celebrates Black History Month at Feb. 11 event

Middleburg is celebrating America’s 250th anniversary with a public event each month in 2026. February’s event, to be held Wednesday, Feb. 11 beginning at 5 p.m. at the Middleburg Community Center, will focus on Black History Month.  This three-hour program will consist of two components—the presentation of the schematic design plans for the Asbury Church Restoration Project and the public premiere of the Oral Histories Project videos.

In 2025, the Town of Middleburg contracted with Caandor Ventures, a professional videography firm, to record the oral histories of twelve individuals who were either former congregants of the Asbury Church or who participated in significant events/activities related to the local African American community.  

Through this project, a total of eleven videos were created—ten which tell the stories of Barbara Scott Evans, Angela Hatcher, Jim Roberts, Betty Nelson, Reverend William Swann, Ollie Hall, Dianne Swann Lewis, Helen Hall, Tutti Perricone, Asbury Lloyd, Regina Banks and Elaine Tibbs, and one of which describes the impact of the Asbury Church, Shiloh Baptist Church and Marshall Street Community Center, located in Bureau Corner, on their lives and on the Middleburg community.  

These powerful, compelling videos tell their personal stories and stories of the local community and share the history of the desegregation of Middleburg, the large number of African American businesses that supported Middleburg in its early years and how the African American community was a family that watched over its members, protected them, encouraged them and helped form who they are today.    

The Town also contracted with Glave & Holmes in 2025, an experienced and well-respected architectural firm, with a specific business practice focused on historic properties, to develop the restoration plans for the Asbury Church.  

Glave & Holmes has an on-staff architectural historian and engaged with additional firms to identify the historic characteristics of the structure with the intent to preserve and promote its history. The schematic design plans, which are a big picture look at the overall design, will identify the Town’s plans for restoring the interior and exterior of the church so it can be used as an interpretive site and for small group gatherings/meetings.  These plans will then be used to develop the construction plans so bids can be solicited for the project.  

Below is a summary of the program for the Feb. 11 America 250 Celebration.  

4:30 p.m. – Doors open; light refreshments served by Back Street Catering
5 p.m. – Welcome & Special Recognitions by Mayor Littleton
5:05 p.m. – Oral Histories Videos
6:10 p.m. – Presentation of Asbury Church Restoration Plans – Glave & Holmes
6:55 p.m. – Oral Histories Videos Resume
7:50 p.m. – Closing Remarks by Mayor Bridge Littleton 

In 2014, the Town was gifted the Asbury Church. Immediately thereafter, it performed structural stabilization work, including the replacement of the roof, to ensure the church building did not deteriorate further.  After carefully considering multiple proposals, the Town Council determined in 2022 that the best pathway forward was to retain the building and move forward with plans for its restoration.

In 2024, the Town contracted with Commonwealth Preservation Group to coordinate community engagement efforts to identify the community’s preferred uses for the building upon restoration. Those efforts identified the preferred uses as being an interpretive site and a small gathering/assembly space. To promote the use as an interpretive site, the Town engaged Caandor Ventures to interview, record and produce videos telling the stories of up to fifteen (15) former congregants, as well as members of the local African American community.  

For more information on the America 250 February Celebration, Oral Histories Project, or the Asbury Church Restoration Project, go to https://middleburgva.gov/AsburyChurch.