A state historical highway marker for Angel Visit Baptist Church in Essex County will be dedicated at 3 p.m. Sunday.

The marker will acknowledge the church’s history and recognize its accomplishments over the past 156 years. This date was selected to coincide with the Third of April Emancipation Celebration. This event, held in Essex for more than 75 years, is a commemoration of the fall of the City of Richmond to the Union Army on April 3, 1865, signaling the end of the Civil War and the institution of slavery in the United States.

With the exception of a 1994 celebration held at Angel Visit, the celebration has not been held in Essex County since the early 1950s. According to Angel Visit’s pastor, the Rev. Dr. Carla E. Lightfoot said, “We thought that the dedication of the highway marker for a church founded in 1866 would be an excellent vehicle to bring this historic celebration first held in 1866 to the attention of the community.”

The dedication and unveiling ceremony fo...