Virginia Department of Historic Resources Virginia Department of Historic Resources
For additional information, read the Nomination Form PDF
VLR Listing Date 12/16/1980
NRHP Listing Date 07/08/1982
NRHP Reference Number 82004670
An endearingly simple house of worship, Oakland Grove Presbyterian Church is the oldest-known church building in Alleghany County and is regarded as one of the county’s chief historic landmarks. The congregation began in 1847 as a mission of the Covington Presbyterian Church. The construction of the brick church building that same year coincided with a religious reawakening among area Presbyterians, when six churches in the Montgomery Presbytery enjoyed “a few seasons of refreshing.” The church was converted to a Confederate hospital in the Civil War and a number of soldiers are buried in its cemetery. Oakland Grove is the mother church of several area Presbyterian churches but is now used only for special services. At the end of the 20th century the Oakland Grove Presbyterian Church building had not been modernized; its original pews, gallery, and furnishings were intact, and it was still illuminated by kerosene lamps.
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
Updated: May 10, 2022
