A monument honoring the U.S. Colored Troops will be installed at a historic Franklin County church by next year.

FRANKLIN COUNTY, Va. (WDBJ) – After months of hesitation, Franklin County has finally found a location for a historic marker.

It will honor the 70 black soldiers born in Franklin County who served in the Civil War.

The original plan for a 7-foot-tall granite and bronze monument at Veterans Memorial Park in Franklin County has been scrapped.

“This is not a very visible or visited site. It’s kind of on the sidelines,” said Eric Anspaugh, president of the Franklin County NAACP.

Plans are now underway for it to stand outside the empty First Baptist Church, located at the corner of Franklin and High streets on Franklin Street.

Anspaugh calls it a new home, an ideal place.

“The black church has played and continues to play an important role in bringing races and communities together. And it’s part of our education that tells that story,” Anspaugh explained.

First Baptist Church Pastor Chris Coates says the church was founded in 1882 by a group of slaves. Over the years, it was used as a base for civil rights movements including voter registration, protests and school integration.

“We want the story of social progress to always be told. These 70 soldiers from Franklin County decided to be brave and left everything they knew to fight for a cause that was worth it,” Coates explained.

I am now about to begin the process of renovating the church to become a comprehensive educational space for the study of African American history.

The monument will be the first thing people see and recognize before entering.

“I believe these stories are intertwined. So, I think the fact that the monument is in a historically African-American church, I just think it speaks to the resilience of the people,” Coates said.

The goal is for the monument to be installed by December 2025.