Museum Exhibit Showcases Culpeper Baptist Church Anniversary and Role in Religious Freedom

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 
March 29, 2024                            
Contact: John Christiansen
Phone: 540-829-1749
Email: director@culpepermuseum.com


Museum Exhibit Showcases Culpeper Baptist Church Anniversary and Role in Religious Freedom

CULPEPER, VA – A new exhibit created by Culpeper Baptist Church for the Museum of Culpeper History highlights the church’s contributions during 250 years of service and ministry to the Culpeper community.

In 1774, several Baptist missionaries were arrested and imprisoned in Culpeper for preaching the Gospel.  One young minister, John Ireland, was subjected to months of imprisonment in the county jail and physical and verbal abuse.  “At that time the Anglican church was the state church of Virginia,” explained museum director John Christiansen.  “Non-Anglicans, called dissenters, were subject to fines and more severe forms of persecution by colonial authorities.  Culpeper County had a reputation for vigorously enforcing these policies.”

Virginia Baptists would later use the story of their persecution in Culpeper and other Virginia counties to advocate for the Virginia Statute of Religious Freedom, which was passed in 1786 after years of debate.  The statute had a great influence on the inclusion of freedom of religion in the Bill of Rights in the U.S. Constitution.  The Baptists also played an influential role in electing James Madison, the “father” of the Constitution, to Congress.

“It’s a story we think everyone in Culpeper should know,” said Roger Clatterbuck, church historian.  “We’ve found we need to retell it about every thirty years.”

Culpeper Baptist Church continued to serve Culpeper County in later years through its efforts in offering senior housing and early child education services.  Today, The Culpeper senior living facility and the Culpeper Baptist Child Development Center provide care and essential services for young and old.  

The church has a full calendar of anniversary activities scheduled throughout the year.  The exhibit will be on display throughout 2024.

Photo caption: A reproduction of the lock and key for the cell in which Baptist missionaries were imprisoned in Culpeper just before the Revolutionary War.



Culpeper Baptist Church 250
March 29, 2024 – December 31, 2025
The Museum of Culpeper History
113 S Commerce St.
Culpeper, VA
The quest for religious freedom in America and guaranteeing the right to worship in the in the way of one’s choosing was a revolutionary idea – an idea in which Virginia played an important role.  The museum’s latest exhibit, developed and installed by Culpeper Baptist Church, tells the story of the role played by Baptist missionaries in Culpeper in our country’s struggle for religious freedom.  Learn about this important event and the other ways in which Culpeper Baptist has supported our community in its 250 years of ministry and service.
For more information, visit www.culpepermuseum.com or contact the museum at director@culpepermuseum.com or call 540-829-1749.