Restoration on historic Reaves Chapel in Navassa nears completion

NAVASSA, NC (WWAY) — Restoration on a historic church with a connection to the Gullah Geechee Heritage Corridor is nearly complete.

Reaves Chapel African Methodist Episcopal Church dates back to the late 1800’s. It was built on the Cape Fear riverfront by slaves who farmed the land.

Around 1922, the congregation moved Reaves Chapel to its present location on Cedar Hill Road.

Restoration on the church began in 2019, thanks to a combined effort of the Cedar Hill/West Bank Heritage Foundation restoration, The Coastal Land Trust, and The Historic Wilmington Foundation.

The outside of the chapel has been restored, with work still needed on the inside.

“Working on the plantation, –for free, did they not have any resources whatsoever. The only that they had, –that they could basically call theirs, was the church. So many things that the church meant to the community, and to folks, and we’re glad that we can restore it and leave it as a legacy to the next generations to come. So, they’ll know that what we had, -we had a little, but we did a lot with the little that we had,” said Al Beatty Cedar Hill/West Bank Heritage Foundation President.

The project needs permits from the Town of Navassa to complete remaining work. It also needs a quarter of a million dollars to add parking and restroom facilities for visitors.