On December 31, 1999, the Tinner Hill Heritage Foundation, the Civil War Sesquicentennial Committee, and the City of Falls Church hosted a celebration to honor the 150th Anniversary of the first Watch Night celebrating the Emancipation Proclamation.

In 1862, just six miles from Falls Church, the Emancipation Proclamation was penned by President Abraham Lincoln at his cottage in Washington, D.C., then issued and announced on September 22, 1862. This important document presented the first crucial step in the long path to freedom.

The period leading up to and immediately following the announcement of the Emancipation Proclamation on September 22, 1862, was marked by stark regional contrasts and fervent anticipation. While slavery was no longer a reality in many Northern states, and Washington D.C. had emancipated its enslaved population months earlier in May 1862, African Americans in the capital gathered in prayer for those still held in bondage in nearby Confederate territories like Falls Church, Virginia. The Proclamation itself, set to take effect one hundred days later on January 1, 1863, allowed time for the news of impending freedom to spread throughout the Union and the Confederacy.

The Emancipation Proclamation fundamentally altered the course of the Civil War. Its true significance lay in transforming the conflict's objective from merely preserving the Union to encompassing the monumental goal of ending slavery.

When we commemorate the anniversary of this night, we should also appreciate the important role of the over 221,000 African Americans who signed up and fought for this freedom, to save and preserve the Union. We are commemorating the “watching for” the hour when the federal government’s policy aligned with the prayers of the oppressed, and we are celebrating the contributions of African American patriots who marched on to victory over secession and slavery.