Roberts Memorial is the oldest Black Methodist Church in Virginia, founded in 1832. Prior to 1830, the Black Methodists in Alexandria and vicinity were part of Trinity Methodist Episcopal Churches rolls. By 1830, the Black Methodists of Trinity, large in numbers were well on their way to establishing their own congregation. The cornerstone of Davis Chapel (named after the white minister of Trinity) was laid in 1832. When a group of white Methodist from Trinity church professed their loyalty to the south (slavery) and named as their pastor the Rev. Davis, forming the Washington Street Methodist Church, Davis Chapel was renamed Roberts Chapel.
The members of Roberts Chapel included free and enslaved people determined to serve God and their Community. Roberts Memorial became a beacon of light to the Black community of Alexandria and beyond. Roberts and the contribution of their membership have been felt in the cultural, political, social, and intellectual landscape of the greater Washington, DC area for almost two centuries. Indeed, the history of Alexandria, VA cannot be properly recorded without the mention of Roberts Memorial or the members of this Christian band.