In 1866, The Rev. Andrew Cartwright, a freed slave traveled to Currituck County from Roanoke Island, where he had learned how to read and write, and had become a zealous Christian worker. Upon arriving in Currituck County, Rev. Cartwright saw that there were no churches established for Blacks in the county to worship freely in, so he decided to build a church. The original edifice was located across the street from where the current sanctuary stands. The name Good Hope is representative of the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa. When Rev. Cartwright decided to travel to Liberia as a missionary of the A.M.E. Zion Church, this ended his pastoral duties at Good Hope.

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Good Hope has served Currituck County for 150 years. The history of Good Hope shows that the church has served as a senior citizen feeding center, a host for high school graduations in the county, as well as many other roles.