Virginia Department of Historic Resources Virginia Department of Historic Resources
For additional information, read the Nomination Form PDF
VLR Listing Date 09/19/2013
NRHP Listing Date 12/24/2013
NRHP Reference Number 13000987
The John Wesley Methodist Episcopal Church is the only remaining building from the first decades of West Warm Springs, a community settled by African Americans who came to Bath County after the Civil War seeking employment in the area’s springs resorts and related industries. The church was the first religious building for blacks in the community. It became a recreational and religious hub and part of the broader community development patterns former slaves created in the wake of Emancipation and Reconstruction. Today it is the only remaining log building in the community and the only surviving example of a Bath County religious institution constructed by, and once serving, emancipated African Americans. A small cemetery is located on an adjacent parcel west of the church.
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: March 7, 2022
