Faith leaders of the local Black community organized Historical Plain Baptist Church here in 1881. Pastor Jordan Mebry and the congregation first met in a one room log building, then in a school. Teacher Connie D. Wharton, a Hampton Institute graduate and a pivotal force in the community, later served as pastor for 35 years. The church remained here for 50 years. After it burned in 1940, it was replaced with the present sanctuary. Averett School, built here in 1940, educated children in grades 1 through 7 until 1960 and later served as a gathering place for the community. A cemetery known as Wharton Memorial Garden was established nearby in 1944.