New Memorial Bench

Installation following worship (approx. 11:30 a.m.) on Sunday, April 26, 2026

Join the Antiracism Ministry for the installation of the new memorial bench after worship today. The bench and plaque are in memory of those who worked on the Gooding plantation and will be located by the gravesites of some of the enslaved, which are near the Gooding family plot just off the church driveway. The plaque on the bench reads “In remembrance of the enslaved people who lived, labored, and died on this land.” Little River has a list of the enslaved persons’ names and they are remembered yearly in the fall as part of the All Saints service.

Additionally, our neighboring cemetery, Pleasant Valley, contains the re-interred remains of three dozen enslaved persons, half of whom were children. These were discovered in 2006 when Guinea Road was being widened, and there is a marker indicating this burial location in the cemetery.

Dedication of Memorial Bench
Remarks by the Rev. Drew Nettinga

On February 8, 2026, during the children’s time in worship we dedicated the memorial bench to be placed near the enslaved person’s gravesite. Here is what we shared with the children.

Did you know that there are enslaved people who were buried right next to our church property? I learned about this when I started coming to Little River UCC. I also learned they were owned by one of the largest slave-holding families in Fairfax County before and during the Civil War. That’s over 175 years ago!

A man named William Gooding owned property to the north and south of Little River Turnpike the road we travel on to come to church and with his two sons ran a tavern near where the Gooding cemetery is located which is also next to our property.

If you drive out from Little River’s parking lot, you can see both the cemetery brick enclosure of the Gooding family and just beyond that the grave stones marking where some of the enslaved people are buried.

Historical records from 1850 tell us that together William Gooding and his sons owned 72 enslaved persons ranging in age from 60 to one year old. Think about that! A baby as an enslaved person! If your mother was an enslaved person and she had you, you would be enslaved, too!

Slavery no longer exists in the United States; but it’s important for us never to forget that it once did, that slavery was a sad and terrible part of our nation’s history. All of us need to remember! That’s why on All Saints day, we say the names of those enslaved people who are listed in the historical records.

This bench was bought by the Anti-Racism Ministry Team and when the weather clears, it will be placed near the enslaved peoples’ gravesite. On the bench will be a plaque like the temporary one you see now. It reads, “In memory and in honor of those who lived, labored and died on this land.”

That’s why we’re dedicating the bench today. We hope that once it’s set up, people will visit the gravesite to remember that slavery once was a part of our history as a country, that it was evil, that people lived their whole lives as the property of someone else with no say in what happened to them. We also hope that people will be inspired to do what they can to right the wrongs that still exist in our country so that all the people who live here will be treated with dignity and respect.

Maybe each of you will want to visit the gravesite, sit on the bench and remember. Maybe you can invite friends to join you. If your class is studying American history, perhaps your teacher can arrange a field trip to come visit, and you can tell them the story I’ve shared with you.

Let us pray. Loving and gracious God, this morning we pause to dedicate this bench for holy work on holy ground. May this bench be for all who sit on it a place for rest, prayer and reflection. May it be for us a chance to remember and honor those who lived, labored and died on this land. May it also give us the faith and the courage to work for justice and fairness for all the people in our country so that everyone may enjoy and benefit from the same rights and privileges as everyone else. There is work to be done and we ask your help in doing it - in some way, each and every day. We pray this in Jesus’ name. Amen.