Mount Olive Baptist Church, Arlington

Mount Olive Baptist Church is a historic African American congregation whose origins date to 1873, when 85 people from Old Bell Church established a congregation in Freedman’s Village under Reverend Washington Waller. Initially called Antioch Baptist Church, the congregation briefly moved services to Washington, D.C., before returning to Virginia and settling in the Johnson’s Hill area, where it adopted its present name.

Following federal efforts to close Freedman’s Village, the congregation purchased nearby land and erected a church in 1893 within the developing Black community of Queen City. Its history changed during World War II. In 1942, the War Department used eminent domain to seize the church property and demolish the building, together with Queen City, to construct road networks surrounding the newly completed Pentagon. The congregation relocated to the Arlington View community and completed its present Gothic Revival sanctuary in 1944, where worship continues today. Mount Olive holds Sunday worship, Bible study, Christian education classes, youth services, and ministries serving different age groups. Community activities include grocery distributions, school-supply drives, nursing-facility visits, scholarships, and advocacy concerning social justice and human rights. Music, preaching, fellowship, education, and service remain important elements of its African American Baptist tradition.

Visitors interested in the church’s historical significance should note that local tourism information primarily lists the building for exterior viewing. Those wishing to attend worship services or other public activities should consult the congregation’s current schedule and respect its continuing function as an active religious community.