098-0022 McGavock Family Cemetery

For additional information, read the Nomination Form PDF

VLR Listing Date 03/20/1979

NRHP Listing Date 06/22/1979

NRHP Reference Number 79003098

Atop a hill overlooking the Fort Chiswell mansion, a former McGavock home, this family cemetery contains an exceptionally rich collection of 19th-century funerary art, including an important group of Germanic stones, the only ones of their type found in a family burying ground. These crisply carved markers, dating from 1812 to the late 1830s, are attributed to Lawrence Krone, the county’s most skillful stone carver. Like most German-style grave markers, these are double-sided with differing designs on the obverse and reverse. Each stone is highlighted by a single central motif – a tulip, a fern, or a sunflower – and most have footstones. The first McGavock in the region was James McGavock, Sr., born in County Antrim, Ireland. He came to Fort Chiswell from Fincastle in 1771 and was buried here in 1812 with a Germanic headstone marking his grave.

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 7, 2021