STEP INTO THE PAST ON BUREAU CORNER

Written by Diane Helentjaris

The intersection of North Jay and Marshall Street in Middleburg appears like many other small-town crossroads — an old house, an office, nearby churches. But this intersection was once known as Bureau Corner.

One swoop of a panoramic camera can capture Asbury Methodist Church, the old Marshall Street Community Center, and Shiloh Baptist Church. With a pivot, 10 North Jay Street pops up. In the aftermath of the Civil War, this building housed the Freedmen’s Bureau Office, the origin for the neighborhood’s nickname, “Bureau Corner.” The house, one of the oldest in town, includes a 1790 log structure with an 1840s addition.

The Freedmen’s Bureau was created in 1865 by the federal government as a tool for recovery from the Civil War. Assistance in education, clothing, food, and legal matters to newly emancipated African Americans was a major focus. In 1872, Congress dismantled the Freedmen’s Bureau.

Bureau | Page 39

Asbury Methodist Church, built in 1829, is the oldest church building still standing and the first African American church in Middleburg. Initially, the congregation included African American and white members, but ruptured in the 1850s over slavery. The majority of the white church members left. During the Civil War, Asbury Methodist Church served as a storage depot, a hospital, and a morgue. In 1864, the church was turned over to the African American Methodist Episcopal congregation. After the Civil War, the gallery was used as a school and dining facility. This ceased with an 1888 renovation to enlarge the sanctuary. In the 1990s, the congregation left to join with a Willisville church. The building has been vacant since 1995. Plans are now underway for the town of Middleburg to take responsibility for renovating the old church.

Phyllis Cook-Taylor, a fourth-generation native of Middleburg, readily recalls attending Asbury before it closed. Today she volunteers as part of an effort forming a 501(c)(3) on behalf of its preservation. Active in local history and preservation efforts, she believes “The first aspect of preservation is recognition. All involved parties must see the value of what is to be preserved and invest in the incorporation of said value to the town. The restoration of Asbury Church will assure Bureau Corner's important place in the historic overlay.”

Shiloh Baptist Church, built in 1913, has been recognized by the Virginia Department of Historic Resources and the National Register of Historic Places. The nomination for national recognition remarks on its architecture and its role in “the history of African Americans living in Middleburg, Virginia, during the tumultuous years of Jim Crow segregation and the Civil Rights era ... [as well as] the freed African American community who built and supported the church and congregation.” The building, created by master stonemason and church member Nathan Nathaniel Hall, has been described as “a vernacular adaptation of Late Gothic Revival.”

Middleburg resident James Smith, 86, recalls attending Grant School at Bureau Corner, as well as the potbelly stove which heated it. Education was segregated. Built in 1888, the two-room structure closed in 1948 when Banneker Elementary opened. The old school was incorporated into the Marshall Street Community Center. Architect William B. Dew used Asbury Methodist Church as inspiration for the design of both the Marshall Street Community Center, which was built to serve African American residents, and the Middleburg Community Center, originally built for the white community. Smith correctly remembers that the Marshall Street Community Center incorporated the old Grant School space. The schoolhouse’s “ghost” is still seen in the southern portion of the building.

In 1961, Smith would play a pivotal role in the desegregation of the town of Middleburg, by staging peaceful sit-ins at local establishments. On April 8, Smith along with Reverend William Swann, Clarence Grayson, and Roger Dodson went to the New York Café (the original name of the Coach Stop). They ordered “something small — like ice cream or a Coke — just to say we were served.” They were served, and next went to an eating establishment across from where the Safeway is now, and then, lastly, the Middleburg Pharmacy lunch counter. At each place, they were served. James recalls, “It felt a little scary but had to be done. … Someone had to do it.” He says there was no retaliation.

Up past the Sporting Library, a narrow lane leads to Solon Cemetery, organized in 1883. This African American burial ground is set in steeply rolling terrain. Just to the south, an old ice pond collects any run-off. Canada geese float on its smooth surface. Dotting the hills above the pond are the resting places of many who once sat in the pews at Shiloh and Asbury, danced at Marshall Street, and learned their ABCs at Grant. Solon Cemetery offers a place for quiet reflection on the important people and places of Middleburg’s past.

Smith and Swann share more details of their April 8 experience with Middleburg Life contributor Heidi Baumstark in her online exclusive: “Two Men Take a Stand, By Taking a Seat: The Desegregation of Middleburg.” Find the article and more stories celebrating Black History Month at middleburglife.com. ML

Note: The majority of the historic sites mentioned are privately owned.

Here are resources to learn more:

AFRO-AMERICAN HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION OF FAUQUIER COUNTY

4243 Loudoun Avenue

The Plains, Virginia 20198

540-253-7488 aahafauquier.org

FRIENDS OF THOMAS BALCH LIBRARY

BLACK HISTORY COMMITTEE

540-579-2825 balchfriends.org

THE LOUDOUN COUNTY

VISITOR INFORMATION CENTER

112 South Street Southeast, Suite 200

Leesburg, Virginia 20175

703-771-2170 visitloudoun.org

THE PINK BOX

12 North Madison Street Middleburg, Virginia 20117

540-687-8888 themiddleburgmuseum.org

THOMAS BALCH LIBRARY

208 West Market Street

Leesburg, Virginia 20176

703-737-7195 leesburgva.gov

Nearly a century ago (or so it seems!) in December of 2019 the SECURE Act was approved by the Senate. Many of you probably have no recollection of The Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement Act (The SECURE Act) because it has been overshadowed by other international events. While that is old and maybe even forgotten news, the fresh news is that the SECURE Act has a sequel. The SECURE Act 2.0 was signed into law at the end of 2022. The two pieces of legislation share a common goal: to reform America’s woefully inadequate retirement system and to incentivize the average joe to save more.

Let’s take a step back in time and try to recall the highlights of the original SECURE Act. At the close of 2019, Trump was still president, most folks had never worn a face mask, and the S&P was up over 28% at year-end. The SECURE Act’s most notable takeaway was arguably the elimination of the stretch IRA which ruled that non-spouses inheriting IRAs must take distributions to drain them within 10 years. Other significant changes, to name just a few, included:

• Required minimum distributions (RMDs) age limits were pushed from 70.5 to 72

• Regardless of how old you are, if you are working (or have a spouse that works) you may make traditional IRA contributions

• Many part-time workers may now participate in an employer retirement plan

• It is easier for small business owners to setup retirement “Safe Harbor” plans that are less costly and simpler to administer Good stuff, right? Now we can all retire! Not so fast. Probably the one thing Congress agrees on is that that while these are helpful, more must be done to encourage the American individual be it the YOLO enthused Gen Z or the sandwiched boomer to approach retirement planning in a more effective manner. While The SECURE Act 2.0 spans 150 pages, let’s try to boil it down to 150 words. You are free to read the actual document on your next vacation or other leisure time -- it’s captivating (yawn). Here are the mainstays that are being rolled out in 2023 and subsequent years:

• Individuals may delay their first RMD until April 1 of the year following the year in which they reach age 73 (2023). Age 75 in year 2033.

• The penalty for not taking an RMD is cut in half from 50% to 25%. And only 10% if it is caught the year after it is due (2023).

• If you are 60-63, you may contribute an additional $10,000 or 150% of the “standard” catch up to your 401(k) or 403 (b) or an additional $5,000 to your SIMPLE IRA (2024).

• For those of you who have student loans and are unable to contribute to your retirement plan at work, your employer can now match student loan payments up to a certain percentage of your salary and deposit into your retirement account (2024).

• All new, eligible employees are automatically enrolled in retirement plans starting at a 3% contribution rate that would increase annually at 1% until it reached 10% (2025).

• Rollovers of 529 balances up to $35,000 to Roth IRAs (2024)

• Employers now may make matching after-tax Roth contributions in retirement plans (2023).

• New rules for qualified charitable distributions (QCDs) allow increased contribution amount based on inflation rate (2024). These are just the bare bones of the 92 retirement savings provisions of which the SECURE 2.0 Act is comprised. The rules are complex and affect each person’s financial plan differently. As you think about what strategies to implement and enrich your retirement savings plan, it may behoove you to speak with a financial professional and consider what is appropriate for your own unique situation.

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A heartfelt note to everyone who knew our beloved Mikey.

A force of love we lost after 14 years. He was a joy and treasured spirit that had to be put humanely to sleep. Big surprise that he had an enlarged heart that his precious little body could no longer accomodate. We and all his friends in Middleburg will miss him so much. Rest in peace Mikey.

November 24, 2008 – January 4, 2023