The African American community of Bristow originated in 1869 when Brister, or Bristol, Holmes purchased land near here. A public school, built about 1883, and Bethel Baptist Church, built about 1928, became centers of community life. After the Civil War, emancipated African Americans, exercising their newfound autonomy, established or settled in nearly 20 villages across Clarke County. Almost half of Clarke County's population had been enslaved in 1860, a much higher percentage than in other Shenandoah Valley counties, reflecting the area's Tidewater-style plantation economy. Freedom for African Americans therefore led to a substantial reconfiguration of the county's settlement patterns and built environment.