1 Form 10-300 DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR STATC: (July 1969) NATIONAL PARK SE,RVICE VIRGINIA 1

NATiONAL RZGISTZ2 07 ?!SIOXIC,PLACZS INVENTORY - MaMINATION FOTihi r FOR NPS USE ONLY ENTRY NUMBER I DATE (Tj.1)~all clntrics - complcte applicable scctionsj

COMMON. WESTOVER CHUKCH

ANDTOR HISTORIC: WESTOVER CIiURCK 2. LOCATION I STREET ANC NUMBER: I .3 mi, S of Rt. 5, 5 mi. W of Charles City I ClTY OR TOWN: Charles City vicinity (Idilliam Lloyd Scott, Eighth District Congress CODE ICOUNTY: / CODE 1 Virginia Charles CI tv 03 9 3. CLASSlFlCATlON CATEGORY &A OWNERSHIP STATUS (Check One) z I !a District Building public Public Acquisition: jXJ Occupied -? 0 Site iJ Structure @ Private In Process Unoccupied 3 Restricted - z Obiect a Both C] Being Considered Preservation work ID Unrestricted I- i in progress No U PRESENT USE (Check One or ,llore as Appropriate) i 0 Agricultural Government Park Transportation Comments j C Cornmcrcial C] Industrial Private Residence Other (Specify) 0 Educational Military Religious C Entcrtoinmcnt Museum Scientific !I r4. OWNER OF PROPERTY The Reverend J, T. Alves -,..,,, , OIYNER'S NAME: Ln 4, Vestry of STREET AND NUMBER: I R,F,D. 2 CITY OR TOWN: STATE: I . .. -Charles City- lr~~n~a71010 1 51 5. LOCATION OF LEGAL DESCRIPTION i------?~~;Ho~"REG-I;TRY OF DEEDS. ETC. irc: "' Charles City Countv Court House STREET AND NUMBER:

STATE CODE b

i-___C~a~e.~i tv I. YPI .. n i R 16. REPRESENTAliON IN EXIS~INGSURVEYS -.A ;TITLE OF SURVEY: Historic American Buildings Survey Inventory 0 DKTE OF SURVEY: 1953 Federal n State County 0 Local 21z -17 . DEPOSITORY FOR SURVEY RECORDS: c/Z ; IZIT 1 Libra~yof Congress STREET A&D NUMBER: 1 I

CITY OR TOWN: STATE: 1 NnshiDgfen D .CL-. 1 1 X,i;~l Good (11 Foir 13 Ocforioratod n Ruins L-I Unoxporsd

~ ~ .- I ' Co~~ll'ioii , .~ I (C1jrc.k Orwl (Chuck Ono) I 1 i IN AI~VC~ 1.1 Unoitercd [-I Movad [x O,iginolSib I . ,~~ . ~ ~ .~. - - .~ ~T;cF~~~~,,,I,,.SCNT &Nu OIIICINAL (!,kn(llYil) PHYSICAL APPEltRANCE I Wcstovcr Cl~urcl~lies a, little south of Route 5, about 4 miles east of tllc junction of l

G.H. I1 .. ~~~~.. SIGNIt7iCr\SCE i

~ / priiioo (i.>lrri7 O~LS-or ;ivrr ar ~i~i>rnnriutr) I i IPro-CoIumb~~n; l.-l 16th Cen*~r~ & 18th Century L; 20th Cenv~ry I I ;1 IS,h Con,ury 17th con,uiY Ci 19th Csnfury ! I 1 3PcCtFtc oATCl$> (;lA,~~l~~:ni~~?ur~~~K~~0~~~1~~

AREAS or S~CN,EICA~CE (check arm 07 &lore 0s ~pp~~priote) Ulb." .Planning ~bbr,~,noI Ed~c.a?,on C] Political ;:> I 1:) 1:) Prchtrforic Engincorine Reiigion/Phi. g-j Oilier (s;?ocily) ! I nislorlc 0 ~.d".~t,~ ~~~~~h~ Local history (11 Ag,ic.lt".e 0 I""o"ti0" C.'] ScInncc I k~]A,chi!oct"ra Londrc.po n scuipturc I :-I A,* ~~~h~t~~t~~~n soc,.~/nurnan. il Commerce Literature iforian I C] Cornrnunicationr p, Militory i~ylThootor I Murtc ri ~~~~~~~~t~ti~~i 1 i I Westover Church is important not only for its numerous historicall associations, but because it is an excellent example of the rectilinear j for111oi colonial Virginia church architecture. The picturesquely sited I building has long been a familiar landnark along Virginia's historic I lioute 5. The Parish of Westover is one of the oldest in the country, I being recognized in colonial records as early as 1625. No church building1 I.1s lcnown to have existed at this time, however. The parish originally ' included land on both sides of the , but the boundaries were i altered several times. The land across the river was lost in the early 1 17201s, and the boundaries became coterminous with those.of Charles City / County in 1725. Tl~ename of the parish, as well as that of the famous 1 nearby Westover Plantation, came from the West family which was granted the1 West Hundred. 1 The first church of Westover Parish stood a few hundred yards from the original Westover , up river from the present church. This first church's still remaining churchyard contains, among others, a tombstone with the date 1637 (now obliterated), said to be the oldest existing stone in Virginia. The present building was constructed , / in 1731. The church was abandoned for nearly 30 years after 1805 as a result of the Disestablishment, during which time it often served as a barn 1 It is also said to have been used as a stable by Federal Troops during the j War Between the States. i The church has undergone several renovations beginning in 1867 . 1 when most of the interior and possibly tile roof were replaced. Tne latest! I ' restoration was undertaken by Orin M. Bullock, Jr., of Baitinore and involved the replacement of the roof, cornice and segmentally arched ceilin?.i Tl~ewest moulded brick doorway and gallery window had been restored in I 1956. Presidents William Henry tlarrison and Benjamin Harrison of Berkeley, and of Sherwood Forest, as well as the families of such well-known nearby plantations as Westover, Shirley and Belle Air have / worshipped in Westover Church. I I l 1 G.H. i I I \ >fason, Gcori;c Carrington, C~~l.oninl.Chitrciles Virginia. ill: Wliittet & Si;cppcrson, 1945, pp. 59-65. Rawliugs, James Scott, Vir,-.11 '. ' s Colonial Churches, & Architectural Guid 1:icliotond: Garrett & Massic, 1963, pp. 116-120. I ltosc, Haroli Wic:;liffe, Thf Colonial Flouses of Worship & America. 4. NCW York: Hastings House, Publishers, 1963, pp. 477-479. 1i

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~~.W.~'OC::,\WIKAL DATA ~ ~ ." 1 LhIIIUDC "NU IONti1TUOE COONU1NATES LATtTUOF AN" LONGiiUDh CODHDIN&TFS DEFINING THE CENTER POINT OF A PHOPCRTY iil:l'iNiNir A >?KC1hNCLi LOChTiNG THC P1<0i7CHTY I OF LESS THhN TFN 6CRES

~ ~ ~- L15T iiiL STATE5 AND COUNTlES FOR PROPERTIES OVERLAPPING- ITATE OF STATE: CODE COUNTY

7 I CODE

I % ! - I I 111. FOhh' PReASE5 BY ,NAME AND TITLE 13r,qinia Historic Landmarks Commis.sion aaff IORYhPIIZhTION DATE 1 , - , Virginia Yistoric Landmarks CommiSSi~- TI~P 1977 STREET AND NUMBER. --

As the desi~natedState 1,laison Ofiicrr for the Na- I hereby certify that this property is included in the 1ion;rl iiistoric Tirseiviit~onAct of 1966 (Public I.aw National Register. 89.665). 1 lhercl,y naminatc this property for inclusion / in the Katiunal I

Chief, Officeof A~~h~~logyandHistoric Preservation I level of s~gniiicc~nceof tllis nomtnailon is: 1 National Statc I;d Local i I 1 Name '1 ::IEST: I J. R. Fishburne, Director I I T,,,, Va. Historic Landmarks Commission I Keeper oi The Naironai Reglslei