Virginia Department of Historic Resources Virginia Department of Historic Resources
For additional information, read the Nomination Form PDF
VLR Listing Date 09/14/1995
NRHP Listing Date 10/30/1998
NRHP Reference Number 98001308
Johnsville Meetinghouse is a simple frame, five-bay, one-story house of worship set on a stone foundation that encloses a basement with a massive gable-end fireplace and hearth used for cooking at special church events. Built in 1874 on land donated by Pennsylvania-born farmer and blacksmith Griffith John, the Johnsville church served for more than 120 years as a meeting place for German Baptists living in northwest Roanoke County on the north fork of the Roanoke River, and in Catawba Valley. Local church members of German ancestry built the church in a simple style in keeping with many 19th-century Tunker or German Baptist meetinghouses designed by Pennsylvanian John Holsinger. The remarkably unaltered place of worship retains its two original entry doors on the long-side façade, hand-planed pews, and horizontal wires used to hold the men’s wide-brimmed hats during church services.
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: September 20, 2021
