State Historical Marker to Be Dedicated for Black Healthcare Pioneer Beulah M. Wiley in Buckingham County

Virginia Department of Historic Resources
(dhr.virginia.gov)
For Immediate Release
July 2026

Contact:
Ivy Tan Ager
Department of Historic Resources
Marketing & Communications Manager
ivy.ager@dhr.virginia.gov
804-482-6445

State Historical Marker to Be Dedicated for Black Healthcare Pioneer Beulah M. Wiley in Buckingham County

—Wiley’s activism resulted in the founding of Central Virginia Health Services (CVHS) in 1970, which brought high-quality healthcare to underserved residents in Buckingham, Cumberland, and Fluvanna Counties—

—Text of marker reproduced below—

PLEASE NOTE: DHR creates markers not to “honor” their subjects but rather to educate and inform the public about a person, place, or event of regional, state, or national importance. In this regard, erected markers are not memorials.

RICHMOND – The Virginia Department of Historic Resources (DHR) has announced that a state historical marker approved by the Virginia Board of Historic Resources will be dedicated in Buckingham County next weekend highlighting the work of Beulah M. Wiley, a 20th-century Black female healthcare advocate who helped establish the first Federal government–funded community health facility in Virginia.

The marker dedication will be held Saturday, July 25, starting at 10 a.m., at the site of the marker at the Central Virginia Health Services (CVHS) center in Buckingham County (CVHS-Buckingham), located on 25892 N. James Madison Highway in New Canton (23123). Guests may park in the parking lot at the property’s address. This event is free and open to members of the public.

Sheila Marshall Lewis, mistress of ceremony, will begin the dedication program with welcome remarks, followed by a presentation of the flag of the United States by the ROTC cadets of Cumberland High School. Col. Harry P. Marshall Jr., M.D., trauma surgeon of the U.S. Army/Navy Reserve, will lead the Pledge of Allegiance. Among the individuals scheduled to speak are Paula Tomko, CEO of Central Virginia Community Health Services, Inc.; the Rev. Frederick L. Munford, son of Beulah Wiley; and Rick Munford, grandson of Beulah Wiley. Larissa Smith, Ph.D., Longwood University professor and a member of Virginia’s State Review Board, will attend the dedication on behalf of DHR. Tomko will lead the unveiling of the marker outside the CVHS center. Light refreshments will be served at the conclusion of the dedication event.

Beulah M. Wiley, a Black healthcare pioneer in Virginia in the 20th century, graduated from the Cumberland Training School in 1941. Wiley led an intensive campaign to establish the Central Virginia Community Health Center, which opened in Buckingham County in 1970. Now known as Central Virginia Health Services (CVHS), it was the state’s first community health facility funded by the U.S. Office of Economic Opportunity, which was created by Congress in 1964 as part of the legislative programs under President Lyndon B. Johnson’s War on Poverty campaign. The push for community healthcare emerged from the Civil Rights Movement. A product of Wiley’s activism, CVHS brought high-quality care to underserved families in Buckingham, Cumberland, and Fluvanna Counties. CVHS later expanded into a broad network of facilities serving tens of thousands of patients every year.

The Virginia Board of Historic Resources, which is authorized to designate new state historical markers, approved the manufacture and installation of the Beulah M. Wiley historical marker in December 2024. CVHS, the marker’s sponsor, covered the marker’s manufacturing cost. The dedication was organized by CVHS and the family of Beulah Wiley.

Virginia’s historical highway marker program began in 1927 with installation of the first markers along U.S. Route 1. It is considered the oldest such program in the nation. Currently there are more than 2,600 state markers, mostly maintained by the Virginia Department of Transportation, except in those localities outside of VDOT’s authority.

Full Text of Marker:

Beulah Marshall Munford Wiley (1923-1987)

Beulah M. Wiley, a 1941 Cumberland Training School graduate, was a Black healthcare pioneer. She led an intensive campaign to establish the Central Virginia Community Health Center (CVCHC), which opened here in 1970. This was the state’s first community health facility funded by the U.S. Office of Economic Opportunity, created in 1964 as part of the War on Poverty. The drive for community healthcare emerged from the Civil Rights Movement. The CVCHC was a product of Wiley’s activism and brought high-quality care to underserved families in Buckingham, Cumberland, and Fluvanna Counties. It later expanded into a broad network of facilities serving tens of thousands of patients annually.

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