African Americans in Chesterfield and nearby areas, long subject to religious and racial oppression, gained a dedicated place of worship and burial in 1846 when Marie Long granted this plot of land to enslaved people. The land was consecrated as both a church and a cemetery, and adult slaves built a crude log cabin that served as the first church building. There they established their own place of worship, praying together standing, sitting, and on their knees. After gaining freedom from bondage, the people continued to worship and serve God, and as the community flourished, the church also served as a schoolhouse where people were taught the “Three R’s” of reading, writing, and arithmetic. The original church building, completed in 1846, was rebuilt in 1870, 1911, and 1975, and in 1996 a new church building was completed at 17155 Wildhorse Creek Road, leaving the cemetery as what remains of the original church grounds. Many original headstones were made of wood and have deteriorated, so an accurate account of all those buried there cannot be given. Among those specially honored for dedicating their lives to building God’s kingdom there are Marie Long, the founding slaves, and the most tenured pastor, the Rev. Theopolis Peoples.