State historical marker honoring the history of the Upper King and Queen Baptist Church to be unveiled

KING AND QUEEN COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) -- A new state historical marker set to honor the history of the Upper King and Queen Baptist Church will be unveiled with a dedication this weekend.

In a press release shared on Tuesday, April 7, the Department of Historic Resources (DHR) officials announced that the state historical marker will be unveiled beginning at 2 p.m. on Saturday, April 11, at the church and marker site, located on 1693 Bradley Farm Road in Tappahannock.

The Virginia Board of Historic Resources approved the manufacture and installation of the Upper King and Queen Baptist Church historical marker in June 2025, per a release.

DHR officials said the Upper King and Queen Baptist Church was constituted in 1774 in the Colony of Virginia by Baptist dissenters of the established Church of England.

The dedication is set to include welcome remarks from David Peppler Sr., pastor at Upper King and Queen Baptist Church, with Rev. Nathan L. Taylor, executive director of the Virginia Baptist Historical Society, and Jennifer Loux, DHR’s historical marker program manager also set to speak.

The marker’s unveiling will take place at the conclusion of the ceremony. Officials said a reception will be held in the church's social hall following the dedication event.

According to a release, the Baptist denomination in the colony of Virginia quickly expanded despite restrictions believed to have been imposed by the established Church of England on those who publicly disagreed with its teachings. The congregation grew after the Revolutionary War, with two Baptist clergymen both baptized at Upper King and Queen.

The present sanctuary was dedicated in 1861 and boasted over 600 members, half of whom were white and half black.