From 1763 to 1801, the Sappony Episcopal Church was served by the Rev. Devereux Jarrett, a proponent of Methodism within the Anglican, and later Episcopal church. Jarrett was one of Virginia’s few Anglican clerics to be affected by the Great Awakening. His several religious revivals were described in his Brief Narrative of the Revival of Religion in Virginia (1778). The tombstone of Jarrett and his wife stand inside this Dinwiddie County church. Sappony Church was built in 1725-26 by Edward Colwell. Tradition has it that the building partially collapsed after a service in 1869, but was soon repaired. It was further remodeled in 1896-98. Despite these changes, much colonial fabric, including window sash, paneled wainscoting, and sections of the original pews and communion rail, remains. A rare survival is an early trestle communion table. Although a landmark of American Methodism, Sappony Church has remained in the Bath Episcopal parish and has been designated a shrine church.
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
Programs
DHR has secured permanent legal protection for over 700 historic places - including 15,000 acres of battlefield lands
DHR has erected 2,532 highway markers in every county and city across Virginia
DHR has registered more than 3,317 individual resources and 613 historic districts
DHR has engaged over 450 students in 3 highway marker contests
DHR has stimulated more than $4.2 billion dollars in private investments related to historic tax credit incentives, revitalizing communities of all sizes throughout Virginia