Wednesday, February 18, 2026
Led by Samuel Sharper, the descendants of freed slaves and Native Americans completed the build of Pleasant Grove Church 130 years ago — a story of faith and perseverance that mattered then and matters now. Michelle Arcari Rose is the board president of The Friends of Historic Pleasant Grove. Formed in 1983, the nonprofit organization preserves and maintains the historic church, its site and its history on Lewinsville Road in what is now McLean. What sets it apart, among many things, is what is located in the former church’s basement.
“As far as I know, I think we’re the only [and] biggest museum space, so to speak, of African-American and Native American history in the county,” Rose said.
In an interview on Jan. 30, Rose recounted the history of Pleasant Grove Church (1896) as one of survival. Rose explained that the people who built their church were free people of color.
“So part of the story of our community is that there were all different shades, from light to very dark, of people of color, and that included folks from the Pamunkey tribe, the Wampanoag Tribe of Nantucket and the Tauxenent, people who lived between the Occoquan and the Potomac rivers,” Rose said.
After closing its doors in 1968, the building, built in the Carpenter Gothic style featuring proportioned gables and stained-glass windows, was in danger of being demolished by 1983 due to development. The Friends of Pleasant Grove stepped in to save the site.
Its new life, ever evolving and expanding as it is in 2026, is to promote, preserve and now interpret and share information about Black life, history and culture, according to Rose.
The lower level has been fully reimagined as a museum space, moving beyond a simple collection of items. Rose said there is new lighting, interpretive exhibits and signage, along with photographs of parishioners and families and a full historical narrative of the church, its near-destruction and the community. “A kind of happy story of preservation,” Rose said.
Through the Lens: Bernard Boston
A current highlight is the partnership with the McLean Community Center and McLean Project for the Arts, featuring a retrospective of Bernard Boston, the first African-Native American White House press photographer and former member of the congregation.
Boston covered every president from Truman to Clinton, but is perhaps best known for his iconic 1967 photograph, “Flower Power,” depicting a Vietnam War protester placing a daisy into a military policeman’s rifle.
“We have personal photographs of him with all the presidents, and many more photographs on our site, and then the more formal pictures of his work, which are available for purchase at the end of the exhibit, that are framed in the public space at MCC,” Rose said. The exhibit closes Feb. 24. She added that Boston helped save the church from destruction in the 1980s.
“He worshiped at our church and took photographs of families and babies that attended our church, helped save the church when it was almost destroyed in 1980 and he is buried in our cemetery,” Rose said.
Funding the Future
As the 130th anniversary of Pleasant Grove Church’s first service approaches in July this year, the Friends are shifting their focus toward restoration. The primary goal is to return the church to its original 1896 appearance at its first service. The museum is fundraising for a new roof and stained-glass windows, with each window costing an estimated $9,000. While only two original windows remain, one above the door and one in the rear gable, the Friends hope to recreate the rest. The originals were auctioned off decades ago, but the museum has photographs to ensure accurate reproductions.
“We know the people who probably know where they are, but they’re not telling me and they’re claiming they don’t know where they went,” Rose said. “But I don’t believe them. But we do have photographs.” Rose hopes that grants and possibly corporate sponsorships will provide for restoration and replacement windows. “We’d love to bring the windows back, and if we can’t get them back, recreate them and replace them.”
As for future outreach, the museum aims to become a go-to site for Virginia school groups, tying the site’s history directly into the state’s social studies curriculum.
The Friends of Historic Pleasant Grove is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Contributions are tax-deductible and go directly toward the restoration of the 1895 sanctuary and the maintenance of the Frances K. Moore Memorial Museum. To donate, checks can be made payable to The Friends of Historic Pleasant Grove and mailed to P.O. Box 6005, McLean, Va. 22106. For online contributions, visit the official website or contact the board for electronic payment options. Organizations interested in sponsoring a stained-glass window or the roof restoration project can contact Michelle Arcari Rose directly at thefriendsofpleasantgrove@gmail.com. For tours and appointments, call 703-506-8270.
https://www.historicpleasantgrove.org/
Black History Month is an annual monthlong celebration of African-American life, history and culture. Founded by Dr. Carter G. Woodson in February 1926, the observance originally known as Negro History Week evolved into an effort to research, preserve and disseminate information about Black history to the community.