A Quiet Faith that Speaks Volumes: The Martins’ Enduring LegacyAt the corner of Queen St. and 12th, in the Arlington View neighborhood, stands a modest brick house. Wedged between two much larger and much newer homes, you might not even notice this house was there. It’s certainly not extravagant.
Yet for over 60 years, this house has stood through the fast-changing landscape of Arlington: a humble, unassuming bridge between the community’s past, present, and future. It’s not that any major historical event took place there, and you’ll find nothing about it in the news. Rather, what makes this unassuming house so extraordinary is the humble, unassuming couple who called it home for so long, and the local church carrying out their extraordinary gifts of faith.
Benjamin Harden Martin and Almeta Ann Hairston Martin met in Martinsville, Virginia in the late 1940s. Benjamin, a brick mason by trade, was born and raised in Martinsville. Almeta, a graduate of Bluefield State College (now Bluefield State University), met Benjamin while working as a teacher in Benjamin’s hometown. The young couple married on a hot August day in 1948.
Soon after the wedding, Benjamin and Almeta made the move to Arlington, settling into the African American district of Johnson’s Hill: the neighborhood now formally known as Arlington View. Being of strong Christian faith, but of different denominations, the couple quickly sought out their new church homes.
Benjamin joined a local Primitive Baptist fellowship, and Almeta became a member of the congregation at Mt. Olive Baptist Church right down the street from their house. For the next five decades, Benjamin and Almeta served as steadfast and faithful members of their community.
“You couldn’t ask to meet better folks,” says retired Arlington County school principal and fellow neighbor, Yvonne Dangerfield.
As a member of Mt. Olive, Yvonne witnessed the Martins’ faith, particularly Almeta’s, firsthand. “She was very quiet, and you didn’t hear from her a lot,” Yvonne explains, before smiling and adding, “but she would often be called upon to pray for certain events. And when she prayed, there was such a fervor in her prayers.”
Mt. Olive Trustee Michael Thomas shares in this fondness for the Martins. “I can see Mrs. Martin now,” he says. “She would stand midway in the back of the church. She was always there, a woman of faith. She was very quiet, but she always had a smile.”
Yvonne’s father, a fellow brick mason, became close friends and hunting partners with Benjamin. “They didn’t just hunt to hunt,” Yvonne explains. “Back then, brick masons often couldn’t work in the harsh winters. So during those times, hunting is how they put food on the table.”
“Mr. Martin was the perfect gentleman,” Yvonne adds. “One time, when my father fell ill, Mr. Martin came to our house to sing to him. But before he did, he let my family know to make sure it was OK. To which we all responded ‘Of course! Go ahead!’’’, she says with a laugh. “They just came up in a time when neighbors were truly neighbors.”
Benjamin and Almeta continued to be true neighbors to all those around them until the very end, being “every Sunday church-goers”, as Michael puts it. Yet it wasn’t until after their passing – Benjamin in 2011 and Almeta in 2016 – that the full extent of their faith and love for their neighbors was revealed.
In Almeta’s will, alongside the Martins’ nieces and nephews, is the bequest to Mt. Olive Baptist Church. Specifically, “to be held by said church as a fund to be known as the ‘Benjamin H. Martin and Almeta H. Martin Scholarship Fund’ and the income shall be used to assist needy and deserving students attending college or trade school or vocational school who are members of said church.” Rev. Dr. James E. Victor, Jr., Mount Olive’s Senior Pastor, moved by such generosity, led the congregation to redesign its scholarship program by establishing an endowment in memory of Benjamin and Almeta.
Dr. Victor attests to the value of the Martin gift when he states, “The Martin gift demonstrates that ordinary people often perform extraordinary feats. The radical generosity by the Martins allows us to reimagine the way we handle scholarships and to establish a gift that will keep on giving for generations of Mount Olive students to come.”
“They wanted their fund to be for all children,” Michael points out, “and not just limit it to those attending traditional college. Supporting trade and vocational paths shares the importance of what Mr. Martin did and encourages others to move in that direction and to not be afraid.”
The significance of this encouragement extends beyond the will itself. Patricia Tillman-Talbert, Chair of the Trustee Ministry at Mt. Olive, explains, “This fund has provided guidance and insight for our education committee. In the long run, it’s been a bit visionary, even if the Martins didn’t intend it to be. And advising the fund is an opportunity to carry on the Martins’ legacy of being good financial stewards.”
Yvonne expands on this, saying, “She was a teacher, and he was a brick mason who couldn’t work in the winters. Yet they still managed to save and plan, all while living full lives.”
In the spirit of honoring this legacy, the church set out to find a place where the funds could be invested, so that it might continue supporting students in perpetuity. “We looked at multiple foundations,” Michael says. “Some local, and some outside the community. We were impressed by Arlington Community Foundation because it’s right here in the community, and their small fee is invested right back into Arlington. Bill Newman, the Community Foundation’s founder, grew up right down the block, and one of our deacons has a fund with the Community Foundation, so we already had a few connections to it. When we presented all this to the Pastor, we knew it was the right decision.”
With their funds at the Community Foundation, the Martins’ generous donation is set to help students for generations to come. “We expect this investment to last for years and years,” Patricia explains, “helping children with their college and trade school, just by pulling money out of the interest. We won’t even be here when they start looking at pulling money out of the initial investment.”
Thinking back on Almeta’s quiet presence, Michael says, “In 2015, if you were to ask the congregation who might leave this kind of bequest…”, he looks around and shrugs with a warm laugh. “But that’s how the Martins were,” Yvonne adds. “They were ordinary folks who served quietly and believed in young people. And that’s the kind of giving that comes from this church.”
“I grew up here,” Yvonne continues, “I literally live on the same block as when I was a kid. It’s often said the backbone of an African American neighborhood is the school and the church, and that’s certainly been true for Mt. Olive. When Reverend Dr. Mackley was here, down in the Nauck area, he was involved in developing it as an affordable housing area. Our young adult ministry has sponsored a Secret Santa Ministry in coordination with the local schools. Names would be received from Human Services of kids who needed help, and members of the church would pick names and purchase items from the children’s wish list. I remember when the sanctuary would literally be full of children and their families getting gifts and meals at the church.”
“Mt. Olive has a reputation as a church where you can get help,” Patricia adds. “We let folks know that our doors are always open, no matter your background, faith, or language. We’ve had people who visit and say it’s one of the friendliest churches they’ve ever been to.”
Talking with members and leaders of Mt. Olive, this spirit of compassion clearly permeates through every part of the church and in the Martins’ immortalized love for the children of their community. So much so, that even those who move away come back to Mt. Olive. As Patricia explains, “You get to the point where you get married, and you move somewhere else. But there’s nothing like coming home to your church. And this is home.”
For several decades, Benjamin and Almeta Martin made their home with each other, with their faith, and with their love for their neighbors. With their scholarship fund, they will continue to make a home for the children of the community they loved so dearly for years to come.
Much like their modest brick house, the Martins show us that the extraordinary can often be found in the unassuming, and a quiet faith can continue to speak volumes long after you’re gone.
