Buckingham County: Alexander Hill
Alexander Hill Church, Courtesy Historic Buckingham
On January 1, 1867, Buckingham-born Alexander Moseley, Editor of the Richmond Whig, granted a tract of land consisting of 346 acres of land to his former servants. The tract was located at the headwaters of Ryan’s Creek just west of Glenmore.
The deed transferred the property to nine “men of color,” including Gabriel Palmer, who would become the pastor of Alexander Hill Baptist Church, the first African-American Baptist Church in Buckingham County. The others were Emanuel Wayne, Emanuel Moseley, Cornelius Palmer, Winston Palmer, Peter Scott, Jesse Moseley, Sr., John Harris, Sr., and Samuel Braxton. On the deed, a church was noted at the tip of Emanuel Wayne’s land on Nicholas Cabell’s Ferry Road. In the center of the property, on Emanuel Moseley’s lot, there was a saw mill.
The community became known as Alexander Hill and provided homes and livelihoods not only for these nine men, but also for their rapidly expanding families.
For more about Alexander Hill, please see my article in this month’s Buckingham Beacon: “The Man Behind Buckingham County’s Alexander Hill Community: Will the Real Alexander Moseley Please Stand Up?”
Currently, I’m expanding this article and am interested in the long-lasting legacy of Alexander Hill. If you have stories or photos to share about the community, please contact me at jlyeck@gmail.com.
slate river ramblings . . . . 
An incredible story!
Nancy, many thanks. I agree, the story of Alexander Hill is distinctive and demands to be enlarged! I hope to hear from Slate River Ramblings readers with more information about the community.