NW-17 ZION POPLARS BAPTIST CHURCH

Zion Poplars Baptist Church houses one of the oldest independent African-American congregations in Gloucester County. It is named for seven united poplar trees under which the founding members first met for worship in 1866. The church was erected one and a half miles to the south in 1894 in the Gothic Revival architectural style with both Victorian and classical detailing. During the 1930s, the church was moved 110 feet because of road construction. The interior exhibits the creative craftsmanship of Frank Braxton, a former slave. The church was listed on the Virginia Landmarks Register and the National Register of Historic Places in 1999.