Welcome to Roots Run Deep
The Shenandoah Valley Back Heritage Project created self-guided driving or walking tours featuring historic African American churches, burial grounds, businesses and schools. Local historians, educators, members of the community and historic African American churches created our tours. It is critical to tell the full history. We divided the Shenandoah Valley into Regions. As of April 29, 2023 we will have funded and created tours for about half of the Valley. (See map below).
There are brochure maps and booklets for each tour. All booklets include a directions from site to site, photos and brief descriptions of each site. In addition to the booklets, each tour has a brochure map with the tour sites listed with addresses. Both maps and booklets are available for download digitally here on our website.
These tours are possible through the generous financial support of the following: National Trust for Historic Preservation’s Telling the Full History Preservation Fund, with support from National Endowment for the Humanities. (Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this publication do not necessarily represent those of the National Trust or the National Endowment for the Humanities.) Virginia Humanities SHARP grant, The Jerome L. Greene Foundation, in memory of Sister Judith Brown, as recommended by Karen Brooks Hopkins, Crescent Cities Charities, and Special thanks to the Friends of the SVBHP for their monthly donations.
There are brochure maps and booklets for each tour. All booklets include a directions from site to site, photos and brief descriptions of each site. In addition to the booklets, each tour has a brochure map with the tour sites listed with addresses. Both maps and booklets are available for download digitally here on our website.
These tours are possible through the generous financial support of the following: National Trust for Historic Preservation’s Telling the Full History Preservation Fund, with support from National Endowment for the Humanities. (Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this publication do not necessarily represent those of the National Trust or the National Endowment for the Humanities.) Virginia Humanities SHARP grant, The Jerome L. Greene Foundation, in memory of Sister Judith Brown, as recommended by Karen Brooks Hopkins, Crescent Cities Charities, and Special thanks to the Friends of the SVBHP for their monthly donations.
You will find the tour maps and booklets for our tours: Clarke/Warren Counties, Frederick County, Shenandoah/Page Counties, Luray, Rockingham County, Zenda, Harrisonburg and Staunton/Augusta by clicking on them under the Tours tab above. Click on the tour name to go to the page that has that tour's map and booklet that can also be downloaded. A list of that Tour's sites also pops up and click on any one of them to see photos and get more information about the site.
Examples: Here is the link to the Frederick Tour Frederick County . And here is a link to Frederick Tour site Belle Grove Belle Grove .
Examples: Here is the link to the Frederick Tour Frederick County . And here is a link to Frederick Tour site Belle Grove Belle Grove .
Photos from our Roots Run Deep Tour Launch Events on Saturday, April 29th, 2023
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About
We are a charitable, non-profit organization dedicated to recovering, sharing, centralizing and expanding the resources on African American history of the Shenandoah Valley through our online resources, programs and events, and our Shenandoah Valley Black Heritage Center. Our team is a collection of local historians, writers, artists, teachers, descendants, interested residents, and neighborhood associations.
Friendly City Food Co-op
Friendly City Food Co-op's Exhibit "What has gone before 1850 - ..." is a new permanent exhibit in their Café. We have a page on this website with information about the photos and history of the area around the Co-op. New information and interviews will be added over time.
Donate
Our tour booklets FREE! We believe that public education is essential to creating enlightened citizens, and are happily providing this tour and information free of charge. However, if you enjoy the tour we ask you to consider a small donation to our non-profit organization, the Shenandoah Valley Black Heritage Project, to further support public projects such as these. Thank you!