State Historical Marker to Be Dedicated for Cypress Baptist Church in Surry County
Virginia Department of Historic Resources
(dhr.virginia.gov)
For Immediate Release
September 2026
Contact:
Ivy Tan Ager
Department of Historic Resources
Marketing & Communications Manager
ivy.ager@dhr.virginia.gov
804-482-6445
State Historical Marker to Be Dedicated for Cypress Baptist Church in Surry County
—Cypress Baptist Church, one of the oldest African American churches in Surry County, was founded during the Reconstruction era—
—Text of marker reproduced below—
PLEASE NOTE: DHR creates markers not to “honor” their subjects but rather to educate and inform the public about a person, place, or event of regional, state, or national importance. In this regard, erected markers are not memorials.
RICHMOND – The Virginia Department of Historic Resources (DHR) has announced that a state historical marker approved by the Virginia Board of Historic Resources will be dedicated in Surry County this weekend highlighting the history of Cypress Baptist Church, which traces its origins to 1866.
The marker dedication will be held Sunday, October 4, starting at 1 p.m., at the site of the marker at Cypress Baptist Church, located at 849 Runnymede Road in Elberon (23846). Guests may park in the church’s parking lot. This event is free and open to members of the public. A reception will follow in the church’s dining room.
The Rev. Dr. Lucy S. Robertson of Cypress Baptist Church will begin the dedication program with welcoming remarks, a statement of purpose, and a prayer. Speakers will include Virginia House of Delegates member Kimberly Adams and Surry County Administrator David Harrison. LaToya Gray-Sparks, DHR’s community services coordinator, will attend the dedication on behalf of the Department.
In 1866, Irene George, who had been free before the Civil War, organized the congregation that became Cypress Baptist Church at the home of Easter Eley in Isle of Wight County. The church moved to its current site in 1867 and purchased the property in 1874. The first pastor was the Rev. Baylor (Bailey) Wyatt, who had escaped from slavery to Union lines during the Civil War. He advocated for the rights of the region’s freedpeople during Reconstruction. Cypress Baptist later joined the Lebanon Virginia Baptist Association, an organization of Black churches that was established in the 1880s.
The Virginia Board of Historic Resources, which is authorized to designate new state historical markers, approved the manufacture and installation of the Cypress Baptist Church historical marker in December 2025. Cypress Baptist Church, the marker’s sponsor, covered the marker’s manufacturing cost and organized the dedication.
Virginia’s historical highway marker program began in 1927 with installation of the first markers along U.S. Route 1. It is considered the oldest such program in the nation. Currently there are about 2,700 state markers, mostly maintained by the Virginia Department of Transportation, except in those localities outside of VDOT’s authority.
Full Text of Marker:
Cypress Baptist Church
Cypress Baptist Church, one of the oldest African American churches in Surry County, traces its origin to the autumn of 1866. Irene George, who had been free before the Civil War, organized the congregation at the home of Easter Eley in Isle of Wight County. The church moved here in 1867 and formally purchased the property in 1874. The Rev. Baylor (Bailey) Wyatt, who had escaped from slavery to Union lines during the Civil War, was the church’s first pastor and a strong advocate for the region’s freedpeople during Reconstruction. The church later joined the Lebanon Virginia Baptist Association, a regional organization established in the 1880s.
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