VA-O41 Mt. Zion Baptist Church (Piscataway Baptist Church)

Marker text: MT. ZION BAPTIST CHURCH (PISCATAWAY BAPTIST CHURCH)

Founded nearby as Piscataway Baptist Church on 13 Mar. 1774, Mt. Zion Baptist Church was the first Baptist church in the region. Endeavoring to stop the spread of the Baptist movement, local authorities arrested Baptist ministers John Waller, John Shackleford, Robert Ware, and Ivison Lewis after the first church service for "preaching and expounding the Scriptures contrary to the law." In 1818 the church moved across the road from this site. The current brick building was constructed in 1854. In 1856 the congregation changed its name to Mt. Zion Baptist Church.

Department of Historic Resources, 2003