Navassa’s Historic Reaves Chapel Steeple Restored

The steeple of the historic Reaves Chapel in Navassa, North Carolina, has been restored and returned to the roof. The chapel was built in the mid-nineteenth century by people who were formerly enslaved, and is one of the oldest African-American buildings in southeastern North Carolina. The Coastal Land Trust purchased Reaves Chapel in March 2019 with funding from the Orton Foundation—the North Carolina affiliate of the Moore Charitable Foundation—and has since partnered with the Cedar Hill/West Bank Heritage Foundation to restore the landmark as an important symbol of local history and Gullah-Geechee culture.