Smyth County is home to famous African American scholars, soldiers, and artists who have impacted American history. Learn more about Black history in Smyth County by visiting our museums, historical sites, and interpretive trails.
Mt. Pleasant Methodist Church, Marion
The original Mt. Pleasant Methodist Church was founded in 1871 by ex-slaves and free Blacks. In 1914, Black brickmasons constructed a new brick sanctuary in the Gothic Revival and Romanesque Revival styles. The church became a cultural center for the African American community, hosting musical performances, lectures, and meetings of the local branch of the NAACP and other organizations. Closing its doors in 2002, the church now operates as a museum where visitors can go back in time as they learn more about life in Smyth County for its African American residents.
The Museum is located at 318 South Main Street in Marion and is open by appointment by calling Diane Hayes at (276) 780-3950.
Sallie’s Crying Tree, Marion
Sallie’s story is a compelling one of that illustrates the pain and suffering slaves endured.
Sarah Elizabeth “Sallie” Adams (1841-1913) was about five years old when she and her family were sold at a slave auction outside the Smyth County Courthouse. Sallie never saw her family after being separated from them following the purchase by a resident of Smyth County. A large white oak tree outside her owner’s house became Sallie’s friend. When she could, she would slip away and cry under it. Telling the tree her troubles and sadness, and at times hugging it, it became her only confidant. “The Crying Tree” still stands today as a weeping reminder. Sallie’s granddaughter founded Mt. Pleasant Methodist Church.
Carnegie High School, Marion
The Rev. Amos Carnegie came to Marion in 1927 to serve as the pastor of Mt. Pleasant Methodist Church. Finding the town’s school for African Americans “hardly fit for a stable,” he organized a campaign for a new building. Ultimately, Carnegie was unable to secure funding from the school board but went on to raise money from the black community and secured a grant from the Julius Rosenwald Fund. The four-teacher building, constructed by black craftsmen who donated their labor, opened in 1931. Desegregation closed the school in 1965. Katherine Johnson, NASA mathematician and subject of the acclaimed film “Hidden Figures,” taught at Carnegie High School for several years.
Visit the historical marker at 602 Iron Street in Marion, Virginia.
Railroad Avenue Neighborhood, Chilhowie (now Town Park)
Railroad Street was once known as “Society Row” after many fashionable homes were built beside and facing the railroad following its construction in 1856. Following two floods in 1877, most of the homes in this section of Chilhowie were destroyed or damaged. Visit the Chilhowie walking trail, which features interpretive signs about the residents.
First Baptist Church on Railroad Avenue, Chilhowie
While visiting the Railroad Avenue Neighborhood, make sure to stop by First Baptist Church, founded and originally pastored by Mr. George Washington Lomans, also of Loman’s Store. The son of a freed slave, Reverend Lomans built his church beside Railroad Street in 1900. In 1916 the First Missionary Baptist Church was built adjacent to the Lomans family home. The present brick church, First Baptist Church, was built in 1955 and still uses the original bell. Reverend Lomans preached on Sundays and operated a very successful store for 85 years.
Grave of John Broddy
In the afternoon of October 7, 1780, the Overmountain Men crept toward the British position on Kings Mountain in South Carolina led by Colonels Isaac Shelby, William Campbell, John Sevier, Benjamin Cleveland and James Williams. With Campbell was John Broddy.
An enslaved man owned by the Campbell Family, Broddy (also spelled Broady) acted as Col. William Campbell’s personal aide throughout the Revolution. When Campbell died in August 1781, Broddy returned to the Campbell’s farm in Virginia. Despite his service to his country, it took Broddy another 12 years to receive his freedom, when he was emancipated by Campbell’s daughter and son-in-law in 1793. Broddy spent the rest of his life in Virginia and is buried outside Saltville, Virginia.
Biographical information taken from The American Battlefield Trust.
Civil War Battle of Saltville
Saltville was known as the salt capital of the Confederacy, a crucial resource for preserving food and curing leather. In an attempt to destroy the salt production near Saltville, Virginia, Brevet Maj. Gen. Stephen Burbridge led an army of 5,200 but was turned away in retreat. During the hasty withdrawal, Burbridge abandoned his wounded, the majority of which were members of the U.S. Colored Cavalry troops. Under orders from Brig. Gen. Felix Robertson, Confederate soldiers murdered the captured and wounded black soldiers and white officers. The action became known as the Saltville Massacre.
Special thanks to William A. Fields, the source for this list. William A. Fields passed away in 2021 before the completion of this article. He was President of the Mount Pleasant Historical Society, a tireless historian of the black community in Smyth County, and a well-known local artist whose works are featured at the Appalachian Spirit Gallery in Marion, Virginia.