Virginia Department of Historic Resources Virginia Department of Historic Resources
For additional information, read the Nomination Form PDF
VLR Listing Date 11/21/1972
NRHP Listing Date 04/02/1973
NRHP Reference Number 73002004
Located in Clarke County’s Chapel Rural Historic District and constructed of limestone rubble, this austere little structure is one of the earliest Episcopal church buildings west of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Old Chapel was built in 1793 under the patronage of Nathaniel Burwell of Carter Hall, replacing a log church of 1747 which stood nearby. The congregation left Old Chapel in 1834 for a new church in Millwood. It is still maintained by its parish with a special service held there once a year. Most of the original interior woodwork is intact, including the pulpit and box pews. Among the many graves of individuals bearing distinguished Tidewater Virginia surnames in its picturesque old cemetery are those of Edmund Randolph and Nathaniel Burwell. The Episcopal bishop William Meade began his ecclesiastical career as a lay reader at Old Chapel.
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Abbreviations:
VLR: Virginia Landmarks Register
NPS: National Park Service
NRHP: National Register of Historic Places
NHL: National Historic Landmark
Updated: May 11, 2021
