I was here for the historical marker out front and did not make the time to attend services at this classic and beautiful church. On the front, "African Americans, exercising newfound autonomy after the Civil War, withdrew from white-led congregations and established new churches, including Mount Pleasant Methodist Church in Marion ca. 1871. After sharing a frame sanctuary with a local Baptist congregation, Mount Pleasant erected a new brick sanctuary here in 1914. Black brick masons constructed the building in the Gothic Revival and Romanesque Revival styles. The church became a cultural center for the African American community, hosting musical performances, lectures, and meetings of the local branch of the NAACP and other organizations. Mount Pleasant closed in 2002." This is marker number KD-15. On the reverse, "Laura Lu Scherer Copenhaver, author, Lutheran lay leader, and businesswoman, attended Marion Female College and later taught there for many years. From a young age, she wrote poetry, fiction, and pageants for the United Lutheran Church in America. She advocated missionary efforts to meet the spiritual and physical needs of the people of Appalachia and promoted cooperative strategies for improving the region's agricultural economy. She began textile production in her home, Rosemont, putting many local women to work making rugs, canopies, and other items. Rosemont Industries, later incorporated as Laura Copenhaver Industries, became internationally known for its products." This side is marker number KD-13. There is street parking but it's crowded on Sundays of course. [Review 19575 overall - 1413 in Virginia - 546 of 2023.] read more

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