Although historical records suggest that more than eighty churches and chapels were constructed in Virginia during the 17th century, only St. Luke’s Church in Isle of Wight County and the bell tower of Jamestown Church have survived from the first century of settlement. Accordingly, the archaeological remains at the Second Southwark Church in Surry County could reveal new information on the architecture and settings of Virginia’s 17th-century ecclesiastical structures. This church was the second to serve Southwark Parish, which encompassed land south of the James River between Upper Chippokes Creek and College Run. The second church was probably standing by 1673, replacing the earliest Southwark Church, constructed before 1655. Abandoned shortly after the American Revolution, the building stood in ruins until the time of the Civil War. The Second Southwark Church Archaeological Site is marked by a monument erected in 1927.
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
Programs
DHR has secured permanent legal protection for over 700 historic places - including 15,000 acres of battlefield lands
DHR has erected 2,532 highway markers in every county and city across Virginia
DHR has registered more than 3,317 individual resources and 613 historic districts
DHR has engaged over 450 students in 3 highway marker contests
DHR has stimulated more than $4.2 billion dollars in private investments related to historic tax credit incentives, revitalizing communities of all sizes throughout Virginia