Oak Grove Community
Title
Oak Grove Community
Date
Late 1880s
Description
Portions of the unincorporated area of Oak Grove, Sterling, Loudoun County, Virginia, were once located in the Town of Herndon, Fairfax County. But due to boundary line changes/corrections between Fairfax and Loudoun Counties, the area is now located on the eastern edge of Loudoun County. The residences of many people buried in the Oak Grove Cemetery were once part of Fairfax County.
Oak Grove was once an African American Community. Settled by formerly enslaved people and descendants of enslaved people, the Oak Grove Baptist Church was first organized in 1868. In addition to the church the surrounding community included a school, an Odd Fellows lodge, a store and several homes. According to a 2004 document entitled “Loudoun County African-American Historic Architectural Resources Survey,” the cemetery was established in 1902, however, the earliest known burial of which the church has a record, dates to 1890. It is unknown if there are older burials because records were lost in a fire.
Oak Grove was once an African American Community. Settled by formerly enslaved people and descendants of enslaved people, the Oak Grove Baptist Church was first organized in 1868. In addition to the church the surrounding community included a school, an Odd Fellows lodge, a store and several homes. According to a 2004 document entitled “Loudoun County African-American Historic Architectural Resources Survey,” the cemetery was established in 1902, however, the earliest known burial of which the church has a record, dates to 1890. It is unknown if there are older burials because records were lost in a fire.
Relation
District
Dranesville
Location
Herndon, Virginia
Additional Notes
Contributor: Historian Barbara Glakas
Remembering Herndon's History: Miss Harris' Poems of Oak Grove
Barbara Glakas of the Herndon Historical Society writes about Ida Harris, who taught at Herndon's all- Black school in the 1940s and 1950s.
Remembering Herndon's History: Miss Harris' Poems of Oak Grove
Barbara Glakas of the Herndon Historical Society writes about Ida Harris, who taught at Herndon's all- Black school in the 1940s and 1950s.
Michael O'Connell, Patch Staff, Posted Wednesday, September 1, 2021, https://patch.com/virginia/herndon/remembering-herndons-history-miss-harris-poems-oak-grove
Collection
Citation
“Oak Grove Community,” Fairfax County African American History Inventory, accessed October 24, 2026, https://fairfaxaahi.centerformasonslegacies.com/items/show/71.