The Valentine First Freedom Center is located on the same corner where Virginia’s General Assembly met from 1780 to 1788. Thomas Jefferson drafted the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom in 1777. Enacted with support from James Madison in 1786, this revolutionary document paved the way for the first Amendment to the U.S. Constitution and continues to impact how Virginians and the nation view the free exercise of religion.
The First Freedom Center celebrates this important history by exploring the past, present and future of religious freedom in America. Physically connected to the Marriott Residence Inn, guests and visitors can also experience the First Freedom Monument, which includes a 27-foot spire, a limestone wall etched with the enacting paragraph of the Statute and a 34-foot banner featuring a seminal Jefferson quote.
The First Freedom Center is open by appointment only.
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