Virginia Department of Historic Resources Virginia Department of Historic Resources
For additional information, read the Nomination Form PDF
VLR Listing Date 04/18/1989
NRHP Listing Date 11/13/1989
NRHP Reference Number 89001929
An austere example of country Greek Revival architecture, the Hartwood Presbyterian Church and its predecessor, known as the Hartwood Chapel or Yellow Chapel, were long important landmarks on the Marsh Road leading to the village of Falmouth in Stafford County. Yellow Chapel, and later the present church, provided the only place of worship for Stafford County’s Presbyterians until late into the 20th century. The Hartwood Presbyterian Church was built between 1857 and 1859. Used periodically by both sides during the Civil War, the church was the scene of Confederate General Wade Hampton’s November 1862 capture of 137 men of the Third Pennsylvania Cavalry, who were asleep inside the church. Caught in the crossfire of subsequent skirmishes, the church suffered considerable wartime damage. Most of the wooden elements and furnishings were burned, but the brick walls survived. In 1915, the Hartwood Presbyterian Church congregation received $800 in reparations from the U.S. Congress.
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: October 31, 2021
