Historic Pleasant Grove Church

On Saturday, June 17, Historic Pleasant Grove Church, an historic site and museum, held their annual Spring Fair and Open House.  Pleasant Grove is located at 8641 Lewinsville Road, McLean, Virginia 22102, just on the outskirts of Tysons.

As described on their website:  “Historic Pleasant Grove is a community landmark in McLean, Virginia built by and for African and Native Americans in the late 19^th century.  No longer an active church, the simple-yet-striking Carpenter Gothic structure is an historic site managed by the Friends of Pleasant Grove, who foster diversity through free cultural events throughout the year, operate the on-site museum, and rent the space.”

Some of Pleasant Grove’s founding families’ members are buried on the property, including members of the Sharper family.  On the day of the open house, I took time to really appreciate the Carpenter Gothic Architecture and craftmanship of Lewis Henry Sharper, the master carpenter who led much of the work on the building. I also learned that among Pleasant Grove’s founding families were members of the Pamunkey Native American Tribe, including John Mills who also helped build the structure.

My husband, Tyler, and I (and our dog Scrappy) were also pleased to speak with Michelle Arcari, Board President of the Friends of Pleasant Grove. We learned about the history of the organization, their on-going work to preserve the structure and the history of the community, as well as their efforts to promote cultural diversity through events held throughout the year. 

Pictured:  Tyler Posey, Michelle Arcari and Scrappy Posey

To learn more about this historic gem in our midst and upcoming events public events planned at the site, I encourage you to visit Historic Pleasant Grove’s website at historicpleasantgrove.org/.

This blog post is the expressed opinion of its writer and does not necessarily reflect the views of Tysons Interfaith or its members.