Virginia Department of Historic Resources Virginia Department of Historic Resources
For additional information, read the Nomination Form PDF
VLR Listing Date 12/11/1991
NRHP Listing Date 10/15/1992
NRHP Reference Number 92001391
Named for the local Baptist preacher, Dr. William Heath Kirk, who was active in the area from 1845 to 1884, Kirkland Grove is one of the state’s few remaining 19th-century religious campgrounds. It is distinguished from other religious meeting sites by its massive tabernacle, along with its preacher’s “tent,” or dwelling, and a campers’ “tent.” William Dandridge Cockrell designed and built the all-wood tabernacle in 1892. A local craftsman, Cockrell is reported to have designed the tabernacle to specifications from the Old Testament. Annual camp meetings held each August attracted large crowds of people who filled the tabernacle’s 101 benches and stayed in the 42 cottages that once stood on the campground. Kirkland Grove is the only campground in the region that continues to hold regular yearly revivals.
Abbreviations:
VLR: Virginia Landmarks Register
NPS: National Park Service
NRHP: National Register of Historic Places
NHL: National Historic Landmark
Updated: March 21, 2021
