About the Preservation Society

 

Purchased on September 23,1869, Long’s Chapel became home to a community of newly freed slaves. Today, the chapel still stands in the heart of the Shenandoah Valley as a reminder to the transition of African slaves to American citizens. While Long’s Chapel is a current reminder of the past, in the early 1870’s it served as a place of worship, community, and education for newly freed slaves.        

 

When the chapel was built there was no educational center for African Americans. Long’s Chapel became the first school for many residents.  It was in this building that trailblazing educator, Lucy F. Simms began her first teaching assignment. The original structure is still standing, along with the cemetery where some of the community’s founders have been laid to rest. In order to save this time in history, the Long’s Chapel Preservation Society is currently trying improve and preserve the site. The society is working towards restoring the church building and graveyard to make it accessible to visitors, listing the property with the Virginia Historic Register and the National Register of Historic Places, collecting and presenting the history of the church and community members to the local area and supporting similar historic preservation projects in the Shenandoah Valley area.        

 

The Long’s Chapel Preservation Society operates under the direction of its President, Alfred Jenkins, Jr., who learned of Long’s Chapel while researching the African-American history of the Shenandoah Valley region. After uncovering some of the story behind the site, he was determined to see it preserved, and therefore established the Long’s Chapel Preservation Society. A native of Goose Creek, SC, Mr. Jenkins has served as President of WML, Inc., a government contracting firm in the South Carolina Lowcountry. He has also served in various community service organizations and as a trustee of his local church.