Saint Joseph Catholic Church
In 1884, Bishop John Keane bought this property and established Saint Joseph, making it the first-known Catholic congregation organized for African Americans in Virginia. The original congregation began in the basement of the all-white Saint Peter's Church in 1879, and grew to 50 members. During the years 1904-1968, this site also contained the Franciscan convent, still standing. Saint Mary's; a two-room school for grades K-12, later named Van de Vyver; a parish house; a trade school; and a two-year business college, Van de Vyver Institute. In 1969, the church and the school were formally cloed by Bishop John J. Russell.
Marker is at the intersection of North 1st Street and East Duval Street, on the right when traveling north on North 1st Street.
Courtesy hmdb.org
