Brownsburg Community Association
The Brownsburg Community Association (BCA) was originally incorporated as a Virginia non-stock non-profit organization in 1994 as the Brownsburg Business and Cultural Center (BBCC) by a group of residents in Brownsburg, Virginia. The Brownsburg Middle School had been closed by the Rockbridge County School Board in 1992, and the primary concern of the BBCC at that time was the future of the three buildings on the four-acre site. The property was donated by the School Board to the BBCC late in 1994, subject to several conditions.
For the next 20 months, the BBCC pursued efforts and sought to convert the property for use as a small business incubator and/or as a combination community and recreation center. However, due to the ongoing costs incurred to maintain and secure the vacant buildings, the difficulties encountered in operating with an all-volunteer staff, and the inability to attract any potential users for the site, the largest of the three buildings was demolished, and the property was eventually sold to a non-resident couple who intend to renovate and convert the remaining buildings for residential purposes.
The BBCC continued to operate as a community-based organization dedicated to ascertaining and meeting the needs of the community of Brownsburg. In 2004, the name of the organization was changed to the Brownsburg Community Association (BCA), and By-Laws were adopted. The mission of the re-constituted BCA is to “promote a sense of community spirit in the Brownsburg area by protecting, enhancing and preserving the quality of life.” The 2004 By-Laws provide for membership in the Association by any individuals, organizations, associations, or other entities upon the payment of annual dues. The nine-member Board of Directors is elected by the dues-paying members at an annual meeting in November.
In 2005, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) recognized the Brownsburg Community Association as a 501(c)(3) public charity. Contributions, bequests, transfers, and gifts to the BCA are, therefore, deductible under IRS regulations.
The BCA has undertaken a number of significant projects including: placement of an historic marker in the village; display of American flags on utility poles within the village; construction, erection and maintenance of three village identification signs on roads entering the village; publication of periodic newsletters and community directories; village beautification; and support Brownsburg Water Corporation. Funding for these projects was raised largely through Home Tours in 2000, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2009, 2011, and 2014.
In 2017 the BCA began a scholarship program for area high school seniors at Rockbridge County and Riverheads High Schools or in accredited home-schools in Rockbridge or southern Augusta Counties. The BCA Board of Directors decided in 2023 to award a scholarship annually in honor of Dick Barnes who led the formation and founding of the BCA in 1998. The scholarship program has continued to grow with the BCA awarding three $1000 scholarships in 2024 thanks in part to three donors. A record 23 students applied for the scholarships in 2024.
If you are interested in supporting future Brownsburg area students, please consider a tax deductible contribution to the BCA scholarship fund so we can keep our scholarship tradition of giving back going into the future!
By far, the most ambitious project of the BCA to date has been the establishment of the Brownsburg Museum. A local resident offered to lease a vacant structure on a long-term basis to the BCA, and the Association raised funding for repairs and a major addition to the building. The Museum opened to the public in 2009, and in 2024 officially became its own 501 3c entity operating now as the Brownsburg Museum.