Sam Black Church, West Virginia

Sam Black Church
Unincorporated community
Historic Sam Black Church.
Sam Black Church Location within the state of West Virginia Show map of West Virginia Sam Black Church Sam Black Church (the United States) Show map of the United States
Coordinates: 37°53′56″N 80°37′52″W
Country	United States
State	West Virginia
County	Greenbrier
Time zone	UTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (EDT)

Sam Black Church is an unincorporated community in Greenbrier County, West Virginia, United States. It is located at the intersection of Interstate 64 and U.S. Route 60 on the Midland Trail, a National Scenic Byway.[1] The community is named for the Sam Black Church, a Registered Historic Place built in 1902 which is nearby. Reverend Sam Black was a Southern Methodist preacher and circuit rider who preached an area stretching multiple counties from Kanawha County to Greenbrier County and helping to establish numerous churches in the area.[2] He died on July 13, 1899, at the age of 86.[3]

Rev. Sam Black. Taken circa 1870s.

In popular culture

An influential hardcore punk band from Boston, Massachusetts, named their band Sam Black Church after this community[4] as it is where their drummer J.R. Roach was living at the time.[5]

References

1. "Sam Black United Methodist Church". Almost Heaven - West Virginia. Retrieved January 23, 2020.
2. "e-WV | Sam Black". www.wvencyclopedia.org. Retrieved January 23, 2020.
3. Powell, Bob. "July 13, 1899: Greenbrier Co. Methodist Preacher Sam Black Dies at 86". www.wvpublic.org. Retrieved January 23, 2020.
4. MacKenzie, Peggy (April 4, 2016). "The amazing music of Boston's Sam Black Church: A documentary of hardcore/metal band with local roots". Mountain Messenger. Retrieved January 23, 2020.
5. Wedge, Dave (September 22, 2007). "Sam Black magic". Boston Herald. Retrieved January 23, 2020.