This rural site in Caroline County has been used for religious purposes since 1796, when the Liberty Baptist meeting erected a frame church here. For the first half of the 19th century, the majority of Liberty Baptist Church’s members were African American—mostly enslaved persons who attended services with their masters. The present brick church was built in 1850. The plain, gable-roof structure follows a standard form used for numerous meeting houses, both brick and frame, built through the Virginia countryside for over a century. Common features are the two entrances and an upper tier of windows to light an interior gallery. Liberty Baptist Church’s sober dignity was a reflection of the meeting’s strict moral code which forbad dancing, non-attendance, and intemperance. The church served the Baptists until 1941 when the property was included in the A. P. Hill Military Reserve (late Fort A.P. Hill and now Fort Walker). Since 1942 it has served as the Post Chapel.
[VLR Listed Only]
Many properties listed in the registers are private dwellings and are not open to the public, however many are visible from the public right-of-way. Please be respectful of owner privacy.
Abbreviations:
VLR: Virginia Landmarks Register
NPS: National Park Service
NRHP: National Register of Historic Places
NHL: National Historic Landmark
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DHR has secured permanent legal protection for over 700 historic places - including 15,000 acres of battlefield lands
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