Old Chapel Church facts for kids
The Old Chapel Church is a historic building in Penhook, Virginia, USA. It was built way back in 1769. People also call it the "Snow Creek Chapel." This church was originally a "chapel of ease" for the Church of England. This meant it was a smaller church built for people who lived too far from the main church in their area.
Building the Old Chapel Church
The Old Chapel Church was about 32 feet long and 24 feet wide. It was built like a house with a wooden frame and a roof made of clapboard (overlapping wooden boards). Inside, it had a wooden floor, a pulpit (where the minister stood), a desk, a small table, and benches for people to sit on. The roof was quite steep, about 12 feet high. It had two doors and five windows.
Many churches in Colonial Virginia were built with a wooden frame, just like the Old Chapel Church. This type of building uses strong posts and beams. Before the American Revolution, there were over a hundred such churches in Virginia. Today, only four of them are still standing, and the Old Chapel Church is one of them! Another famous frame church is St. John's Episcopal Church (Richmond, Virginia). This is where Patrick Henry gave his famous "Give me liberty or give me death!" speech.
Experts have found special features that show how important this church is. For example, it has a "chancel door" near the communion table. This type of exit was common in Anglican churches from the 1600s and 1700s.
The land around the church also has history. An old roadbed near the church is thought to be part of the Pigg River Road. This road was a major route through Franklin County, Virginia. The Old Chapel Church became a well-known landmark along this important path. The last person who was a member of the Old Chapel Church, Mrs. Virginal Kelley, passed away in 2009 when she was 95 years old.
In 2017, the Old Chapel Church was added to the National Register of Historic Places. This means it's recognized as a very important historical site in the United States. The Governor of Virginia, Terry McAuliffe, also called the church a "Virginia Treasure." This special title is given to important natural, cultural, or historical places in Virginia.
The King's House
During the time of the American Revolution, the Old Chapel Church was sometimes called "the King's House." This was because the King of England owned the land and the church, as he was the head of the Church of England. Also, local taxes were paid here to the King. People usually paid these taxes with tobacco. There's also a story that the British stored gunpowder and weapons here during the Revolution.
Church Members and Leaders
The Old Chapel Church was part of the Antrim Parish at first. Later, as new counties like Franklin, Pittsylvania, Patrick, and Henry were formed from Halifax County, it became part of the Camden Parish.
When Camden Parish was created in 1767, it had 938 white people and 316 enslaved people who paid "tithes." A tithe was a payment required by law to support the local church. Almost every white or Black male had to pay this, unless a woman owned her own business.
Some of the early ministers of the church included Reverend Foulis, Reverend Alex Gordon, and Reverend James Stevenson. Reverend Stevenson even traveled all the way to London to become an ordained minister! In 1771, Reverend Lewis Gwilliam became the minister. Even though he was part of local committees supporting the American Revolution, some people thought he was secretly loyal to the British King (a "Tory"). He was paid until 1779, but by 1776, many people wanted his salary stopped. Others suspected of being disloyal to the revolution were John Pigg and Samuel Calland (the town of Callands, Virginia is named after him).
Many important people were members of the Old Chapel Church. John Pigg, for whom the Pigg River is named, was a member. Colonel William Witcher, a military officer, led local troops in battles and expeditions, including the Cherokee Expedition in 1776 and 1777, and the Battle of Guilford Courthouse. John Donelson, whose daughter married President Andrew Jackson, was also a member of the church.
Hugh Innes was a judge who represented the county in important government groups. He was in the House of Burgesses from 1769 to 1774, then in the first revolutionary convention in 1774, and later in the House of Delegates in 1783.
After being an Anglican church, the Old Chapel Church was later used by Primitive Baptists until 2009. Today, the church building and its land are owned by private individuals.
