Farnham Church

Last updated

Farnham Church
Farnham Church Episcopal Warsaw, Virginia.jpg
Farnham Church in 2025
USA Virginia location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Usa edcp location map.svg
Red pog.svg
LocationVA 3, Farnham, Virginia
Coordinates 37°53′9″N76°37′32″W / 37.88583°N 76.62556°W / 37.88583; -76.62556
Area9.9 acres (4.0 ha)
Built1737 (1737)
Architectural styleGeorgian Revival, Colonial
NRHP reference No. 73002053 [1]
VLR No.079-0014
Significant dates
Added to NRHPAugust 14, 1973
Designated VLRSeptember 19, 1972 [2]

Farnham Church, also known as North Farnham Episcopal Church, is a historic Episcopal church located in Farnham, Richmond County, Virginia. It is the parish church of North Farnham Parish, created in 1683. [3]

Contents

The church was built in 1737 in the Colonial style, and renovated in 1921 in the Georgian Revival style. [4] As it stands, the church is a one story, cruciform-shaped brick building with a gable roof. The interior includes a barrel-vaulted ceiling and a Georgian-style pulpit and altarpiece. Due to the church being abandoned and gutted multiple times, the brick walls are the only surviving aspect of the original 1737 building. The dimensions are 63.8 ft. by 58.2 ft.

Farnham Church was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1973. [1]

History

The church was first built in 1737 as a replacement for an older church built around 1660. The original building likely had a hipped roof. Early parishioners included the Carter family of Sabine Hall and the Tayloe family of Mount Airy. [2]

The building was left abandoned in the late-18th century after the disestablishment caused churches associated with the Church of England to fall out of favor; during this time it may have been used as a barn and distillery. [3] Two years into the War of 1812, bullet holes were left in the walls during a conflict between the Virginia militia and the British fleet led by Admiral George Cockburn. This event was called the Skirmish at Farnham Church, and it was an American victory. [2] [5] [6] The church used as a stable by Union soldiers during the Civil War. It was later restored to service in 1873, but a fire gutted the building in 1887. The church was last renovated in 1921. [4]

HABS photo of Farnham Church Farnham Church (Episcopal), State Routes 602 & 607, Farnham (Richmond County, Virginia).jpg
HABS photo of Farnham Church

References

  1. 1 2 "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  2. 1 2 3 "Farnham Church – DHR". DHR Virginia. Retrieved August 15, 2025.
  3. 1 2 "Our Rich History - North Farnham and St. John's Episcopal Churches". October 19, 2023. Retrieved November 11, 2025.
  4. 1 2 Virginia Historic Landmarks Commission Staff (December 1978). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination: Farnham Church" (PDF). Virginia Department of Historic Resources. and Accompanying photo
  5. ↑ "The War of 1812". Richmond County Museum. Retrieved August 15, 2025.
  6. ↑ Harper, Robert (1992). Richmond County Virginia 1692-1992: A Tricentennial Portrait. O'Donnell Publications.

Commons-logo.svg Media related to Farnham Church at Wikimedia Commons


This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.