{"nrhp_refnum":"00000988","name":"Zion Episcopal Church","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"US 264, 0.2 mi. E of jct. with NC 1601","address_restricted":false,"city":"Washington","county":"Beaufort County","state":"NC","lat":35.52319424800004,"lon":-76.93443541399995,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2000-08-16","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture","Religion"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A small antebellum frame Episcopal church with an associated cemetery, rectory and outbuildings, on about three acres south of US 264, roughly seven miles east of Washington in rural Beaufort County, North Carolina. The church was completed and consecrated in 1856.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the church reflects the Episcopal Church's missionary work in Beaufort County (Criterion A) and preserves a modest frame church form traditional in eastern North Carolina, built while the Ecclesiological movement promoted Gothic design (Criterion C). The cemetery is also significant for its design and its link to the congregation's development. It is described as a rare antebellum example of a traditional rural Episcopal church form.","narrative":"Zion Episcopal Church is a small gable-front frame church on about three acres in rural Beaufort County, North Carolina, seven miles east of Washington. Completed and consecrated in 1856 for about $715, it was built under the supervision of Henry L. Harvey, who had deeded the land. Simple Greek Revival touches include boxed cornices with returns and tall nine-over-nine windows. A vestibule was added around 1885, a rear addition around 1920 and a bell tower in 1954. The site also holds a cemetery of about 386 plots, an 1884 rectory, a garage, a well house and a later parish hall. The church is significant for its tie to Episcopal missionary work in the county, led in its early years by clergy such as the Rev. Nicholas C. Hughes and the Rev. Israel Harding. It also preserves a modest rural church form at a time when Gothic design was favored in towns. Its period of significance runs from 1856 to 1950.","period_of_significance":"1856-1950","architect_builder":"unknown (Henry L. Harvey supervised construction)","architectural_style":"Greek Revival","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Described as well maintained, vibrant and little changed; still used as a church with cemetery, rectory and parish hall.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:57:54.381464-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/17/7190/47719017/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NC/00000988.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/00000988/11088f35c0-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/00000988/11088f35c0-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Tradewinds","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Zion_Episcopal_Church_-_Washington,_NC.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">Tradewinds</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Zion_Episcopal_Church_-_Washington,_NC.JPG"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/47719017","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zion_Episcopal_Church_(Washington,_North_Carolina)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q8072515"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/north-carolina/beaufort-county/zion-episcopal-church-00000988/"}