Virginia Department of Historic Resources Virginia Department of Historic Resources
For additional information, read the Nomination Form PDF
VLR Listing Date 09/13/2000
NRHP Listing Date 11/22/2000
NRHP Reference Number 00001438
In its unspoiled setting in Goochland County, Byrd Presbyterian Church is a notable example of the simple churches built across Virginia in the 19th century. It is unusual in the survival of a number of important features, including its original slate roof, Venetian blind valances, other interior fittings, and the size and continuous use of its cemetery. The congregation has an unbroken lineage to the beginnings of the Presbyterian Church in Virginia. The present building may have been built in 1837, but the founding of its congregation some 90 years earlier by the eminent Presbyterian divine Samuel Davies gives the church a special place, not only in Presbyterian history, but also in the history of religious tolerance in Virginia.
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: April 25, 2022
