TOWN/CAANDOR SEEKING HISTORIAL PHOTOGRAPHS FOR ORAL HISTORIES PROJECT
The Town of Middleburg contracted with Caandor Ventures, a professional videography firm, for its Oral Histories Project associated with the Asbury Church Restoration Project. Caandor’s team has recorded interviews with thirteen individuals associated with the Asbury Church and/or local African American community, and recorded b-roll footage throughout the town of Middleburg, primarily in the areas of the Asbury Church, Bureau Corner (intersection of Marshall and Jay Streets), and downtown Middleburg. The recordings will be edited to create individual interview videos and one compilation video on the history of the local African American community and the Asbury Church. It is anticipated that the videos will be available for viewing in the Asbury Church once it is restored, on the Town’s website, on social media, and through other avenues to share these stories.
Caandor Ventures is seeking historical photographs of the below places/areas to incorporate into the videos. If you have such photographs and are willing to share them for inclusion in the Town’s Oral Histories Project, please contact Rhonda North, Town Clerk, at (540) 687-5152 or rnorth@middleburgva.gov. The deadline for accepting photographs is Friday, September 5, 2025. Individuals will need to sign a release form authorizing the use of the photograph(s) for this purpose.
→Asbury Church Interior and Exterior (in particular - alter area, piano area, upstairs balcony area, church bell in bell tower, architectural details)
→Bureau Corner (Intersection of Jay & Marshall Streets)
→Marshall Street Community Center (in particular - basketball court area, horseshoe tournament area, hilly area where people sat to watch the games, choir competitions)
→Windy Hill residential area (prior to renovations)
→Federal & Pendleton Street residential area
→Halls Park
→Shiloh Baptist Church interior and exterior
→Black owned businesses (example, former gas station where Saturday night music happened)
→Banneker School and Integration era school buildings
→Integration era school bus routes/stops
→Lincoln Road houses
→Family scenes (Sunday dinners, breakfasts, etc.)
→Foxcroft Road area
→Route 50 corridor between Middleburg and Upperville
→Coach Stop
→Beaver Dam Farm
HISTORY OF ASBURY CHURCH RESTORATION PROJECT
In 2014, the Town was gifted the Asbury Church. Immediately thereafter, the Town performed structural stabilization work, including the replacement of the roof, to ensure the church building did not deteriorate further. After carefully considering multiple proposals, the Town Council determined in 2022 that the best pathway forward was to retain the building and move forward with plans for its restoration.
In 2024, the Town contracted with Commonwealth Preservation Group to coordinate community engagement efforts to identify the community’s preferred uses for the building upon restoration. Those efforts identified the preferred uses as being an interpretive site and a small gathering/assembly space. To promote the use as an interpretive site, the Town engaged Caandor Ventures to interview, record and produce videos telling the stories of up to fifteen (15) former congregants, as well as members of the local African American community.
It is anticipated that the Town Council will soon award contracts for architectural/engineering services and construction management services to develop the plans for the restoration of the Asbury Church. It is estimated that it will take approximately one year to develop those plans, at which point, the Town will begin to look at available funding options for the restoration work.
For more information on the Oral Histories Project or the Asbury Church Restoration Project, visit our website at https://middleburgva.gov/AsburyChurch.
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