Virginia Department of Historic Resources Virginia Department of Historic Resources
For additional information, read the Nomination Form PDF
VLR Listing Date 04/22/1992
NRHP Listing Date 10/15/1992
NRHP Reference Number 92001373
Crockett’s Cove Presbyterian Church in Wythe County was named for John Crockett, who settled in this pastoral vale in the 1770s. Crockett’s daughter-in-law, Nancy Graham Crockett, the pious daughter of a Presbyterian elder, became concerned for the religious welfare of the area. At her death in 1853 she left funds to build a church for the community. Completed in 1858, the church was constructed by Wesley Johnson of nearby Wytheville. The plain rectangular structure is typical of country Presbyterian meetinghouses, being basically functional and devoid of religious iconography. Lewis Miller, the Pennsylvania folk artist, sketched the church at its dedication. During the 1864 Civil War battle of Cove Mountain, the church was used as a Union hospital. Seventeen soldiers died here, and bloodstains from the wounded remain inside. The Crockett’s Cove Presbyterian Church closed in 1903 but was restored to occasional use in 1941. Buttresses were added in 1959 to halt splaying of the walls.
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Abbreviations:
VLR: Virginia Landmarks Register
NPS: National Park Service
NRHP: National Register of Historic Places
NHL: National Historic Landmark
Updated: August 11, 2022
