vircu00192Gales', Melinda, African American church architecture collectionA Guide to the Melinda Gales' African American church architecture collection M 70A collection in Special Collections and Archives, James Branch Cabell Library, M 70Keahi AdolphoVCU James Branch Cabell Library

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Special Collections and Archives 901 Park AvenueRichmond, Virginia 23284Business Number: (804) 828-1108libsca@vcu.eduURL:
This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2025-12-19 07:01:51 -0500.Description is written in: English, Latin script.Describing Archives: A Content Standard2024, Keahi AdolphoPhotocopies present in the collection were deaccessioned and the physical collection was rehoused. Folder titles were revised as needed and folders were rearranged alphabetically. The biographical and scope and contents notes were revised to reflect changes in the collection. The original finding aid has been maintained and is available. VCU James Branch Cabell Library Melinda Gales' African American church architecture collection Gales, Melinda D. M 70 /repositories/5/resources/642 0.83 Linear Feet 2 letter document boxes Collection contains paper documents, black and white photographs, color photographs, negatives, and slides. 1987-1999 English 1 2 Preferred Citation

Melinda Gales' African American church architecture collection, 1987-1999, Collection # M 70, Special Collections and Archives, James Branch Cabell Library, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA.

 Acquisition Information

Gift of Melinda D. Gales, May 1999.

 Biographical / Historical Information

Melinda Dawn Gales was born in Russellville, Arkansas in 1972. She earned a B.S. from Radford University in 1995 and an MA in Art History from Virginia Commonwealth University in 1999. In 1999, she completed her Master's thesis, "African-American Baptist Churches in Hanover County, Virginia, 1865-1900" in fulfillment of her degree requirements.

In the abstract of her thesis, she states that the purpose was "to examine rural African-American vernacular Baptist churches built in the years following the Civil War. The case study is centered around Hanover County, Virginia, because of the county's strategic location in relation to the capital of the Confederacy in Richmond."

 Arrangement

Folders are arranged alphabetically.

 Content Description

This collection consists of materials created or gathered by Melinda D. Gales in pursuance of her thesis research. The collection includes drafts of Melinda Gales's Master's thesis, "African American Baptist Churches in Hanover County, Virginia, 1865-1900"; research notes; photographs; slides; negatives; and several magazines or booklets dealing with African American Baptist church history and architecture in Richmond city and Hanover County, Virginia. Areas of research include date stones, distyle-in-muris, and portrait bust stained glass use in African American Baptist churches.

Churches included in this collection are:

Hanover County--Abner Baptist, Bethany Baptist, Chestnut Baptist, Ebenezer Baptist, First Union Baptist, Jerusalem Baptist, Mount Carmel Baptist, Providence Baptist, Second Union Baptist, Shiloh Baptist, and Union Baptist Church.

Richmond City--Ebenezer Baptist, Fifth Street Baptist, First African Baptist, Fountain Baptist, Fourth Baptist, Mt. Carmel Baptist, Mt. Tabor Baptist, Rising Mt. Zion, Second Baptist Church, Sharon Baptist, Sixth Mount Zion, Swansboro Baptist, First Baptist Church (Southside) and Second Baptist (Southside).

 African American churches -- History -- Virginia -- Hanover County Baptist church buildings -- Virginia -- Hanover County Church architecture -- Virginia -- Hanover County African American churches -- History -- Virginia -- Richmond Baptist church buildings -- Virginia -- Richmond Church architecture -- Virginia -- Richmond Photographs drafts (documents) Periodicals Ephemera Virginia Commonwealth University -- students Correspondence/repositories/5/archival_objects/765741997-199812Ebenezer Baptist Church (Richmond) slides/repositories/5/archival_objects/76575199813First African Baptist Church (Richmond) photos/repositories/5/archival_objects/76576March 199814Fourth African Baptist Church (Richmond) slides/repositories/5/archival_objects/76577199815First Baptist Church (Richmond) photos/repositories/5/archival_objects/76578Summer 199816Mount Carmel Baptist Church (Richmond) history/repositories/5/archival_objects/76579October 27, 199617New Bridge Baptist Church (Richmond) photos/repositories/5/archival_objects/76580March 24, 199818Miscellaneous church photos, A-E/repositories/5/archival_objects/765811998-199919Miscellaneous church photos, F-H/repositories/5/archival_objects/765821998110Miscellaneous church photos, L-R/repositories/5/archival_objects/765831998111Miscellaneous church photos, S-Z/repositories/5/archival_objects/765841997-1998112Miscellaneous church slides/repositories/5/archival_objects/765851997-1998113Miscellaneous Richmond magazines/repositories/5/archival_objects/765861987 and 1998114Scope and Contents

Magazines include: -E. Hatcher Crenshaw, Harry Davis Jr., and Edwin Slipek Jr., "Mine Eyes Have Seen the Glory: Faith, Struggle and Growth in Richmond Since 1619," Jefferson Publishing: Richmond, 1987. -Metropolitan Business Guide, Volume 14, Number 4: Special Black History Issue -Virginia Cavalcade: The Quarterly Illustrated Magazine of Virginia History and Culture, Winter 1998

Negatives/repositories/5/archival_objects/76587circa 1997-1999115Second Union Baptist Church (Hanover County)/repositories/5/archival_objects/765881996-1999116Second Union Baptist Church (Hanover County) photos/repositories/5/archival_objects/765891997117Second Union Baptist Church (Hanover County) slides/repositories/5/archival_objects/765901997118Shiloh Baptist Church (Hanover County) photos/repositories/5/archival_objects/765911999119Sixth Mount Zion Church (Richmond) photos/repositories/5/archival_objects/76592Spring 1998120Thesis draft/repositories/5/archival_objects/76593199921Thesis, final version/repositories/5/archival_objects/76594May 199922Thesis log/repositories/5/archival_objects/76595199823Thesis photos/repositories/5/archival_objects/76596circa 1997-199924Union Baptist Church (Hanover County) photos/repositories/5/archival_objects/76597199925Valentine Museum exhibit ephemera/repositories/5/archival_objects/765981998-199926Scope and Contents

Exhibit titles include: -Jackson Ward: A Century of Community -In Bondage and Freedom -Jim Crow: Racism and Reaction in the New South -Second Street: Business and Entertainment in Jackson Ward, 1900-1965

VCU Architectural History Symposia/repositories/5/archival_objects/765991994, 1997, and 199827White churches, reference lists/repositories/5/archival_objects/76600199828