A historical marker recognizing the Old Folks Home, a facility that cared for impoverished elderly Black residents in Essex County during the early 20th century, will be dedicated this weekend.

The Virginia Department of Historic Resources approved the marker, which will be unveiled Saturday, March 29, at noon. The marker is located across Route 17 from 28882 Tidewater Trail in Dunnsville.

Limited roadside parking will be available, with additional parking and a free shuttle service offered from Angel Visit Baptist Church at 29566 Tidewater Trail, beginning at 11 a.m.

 Rev. Edloe
 

The Woman’s Baptist District Missionary Convention opened the Old Folks Home around 1909 to provide care for elderly Black people, some of whom had been formerly enslaved and had no known family.

The facility, overseen by a live-in matron and an all-women trustee board, provided essential needs and end-of-life arrangements.

Funded by churches, private donors and timber sales, the home operated for about 30 years, through the late 1930s.

The home was part of a national social reform movement beginning in the late 19th century, in which charitable groups, often led by women, established residences for indigent elderly individuals as alternatives to public almshouses.

The dedication ceremony will include recognition of the home’s seven founding trustees:

Martha Ellis Braxton of Lancaster, Rosa Wheeler Cauthorne of Ozeana (now Dunnsville), Sallie Page Gaines of Walkerton, Mary Ann Harris of Urbanna, Mattie Gatewood McGill of Church View, Mary Eliza Cook Moody of Jamaica and Susan A. Jackson Smith of Gloucester.

Following the dedication, a reception will be held at Angel Visit Baptist Church. Dr. Carla E. Lightfoot, moderator of the Southside Rappahannock Baptist Association and pastor of Angel Visit, will preside over the event. The Rev. Leonard Edloe, pastor of New Hope Fellowship in Hartfield, will deliver the keynote address.