The History of Diamond Hill Baptist Church

Diamond Hill Baptist Church was established in 1872, seven years after slavery was abolished.

The current church, a Gothic Revival–style building, was completed in 1886. Under the pastorate and leadership of the Rev. Dr. Virgil A. Wood from 1958 to 1963, the church became central to the Civil Rights movement in the Lynchburg area as the base of operations for demonstrations, sit-ins, and rallies seeking to end segregation. The church also hosted speeches by notable figures in the national Civil Rights movement. Efforts to achieve racial equality continued under the 1964–2000 pastorate of the Rev. Dr. Haywood Robinson Jr.

The current church, a Gothic Revival–style building, was completed in 1886. Under the pastorate and leadership of the Rev. Dr. Virgil A. Wood from 1958 to 1963, the church became central to the Civil Rights movement in the Lynchburg area as the base of operations for demonstrations, sit-ins, and rallies seeking to end segregation. The church also hosted speeches by notable figures in the national Civil Rights movement. Efforts to achieve racial equality continued under the 1964–2000 pastorate of theRev. Dr. Haywood Robinson Jr.

 From News & Advance, Diamond Hill Baptist …Overdue Reunion November 20, 2004

Diamond Hill Baptist Church began as a small congregation in 1872 and built its first church at the corner of Grace and 15th Streets in 1887. A talented member of the congregation, Lewis Bolling, did the original brickwork.

During the early 1970s, the church underwent an ambitious program of expansion and renovation. According to Lynchburg architectural historian, S Allen Chambers, Jr, it is now serves as “an anchor of stability in a neighborhood that has witnessed many changes both in
its social and is physical fabric.”