Virginia Department of Historic Resources Virginia Department of Historic Resources
For additional information, read the Nomination Form PDF
VLR Listing Date 07/07/1970
NRHP Listing Date 10/15/1970
NRHP Reference Number 70000813
Begun in 1742 and completed by 1751, Hungars Episcopal Church is one of two remaining colonial churches on Virginia’s Eastern Shore. As originally built, it was over ninety feet in length, making it the longest Anglican parish church in the colony and a testament to the importance of its parish. It was abandoned following the disestablishment of the Anglican church, but was restored to use in 1819. Declared unsafe in 1850, its west wall and first bay were taken down, shortening the building’s length to seventy-four feet. The Northampton County church nevertheless remains a prime work of colonial ecclesiastical architecture. Finely executed gauged-brick arches with the rare addition of keystones highlight the windows. The 19th-century repairs included the installation of the intersecting window tracery. Hungars Church has a timeless setting in a grove of pine trees; its former glebe house is also listed in the registers.
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: December 29, 2021
