{"nrhp_refnum":"00001438","name":"Byrd Presbyterian Church","other_names":["DHR File no. 37-16"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"2229 Dogtown Rd.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Goochland","county":"Goochland County","state":"VA","lat":37.71398712900003,"lon":-77.93961431499997,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2000-11-22","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A rectangular brick Greek Revival-style Presbyterian church with an adjoining cemetery, located about four miles west of Goochland Court House in Goochland County, Virginia. It was begun in 1837 and completed the next year.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the church satisfies Criterion C as both typical and unusual among 19th-century rural Virginia churches. It is typical in size and location, but unusual for its surviving original slate roof, carved window valances for Venetian blinds, interior fittings, unspoiled setting and large, continuously used cemetery. Its congregation also traces back to the 1748 work of Samuel Davies, linking it to Presbyterian history and religious toleration in Virginia.","narrative":"Set among rolling farmland four miles west of Goochland Court House, this brick Presbyterian church was begun in 1837 and finished the following year. It is a simple rectangular building with a gable roof, Flemish bond on the front, common bond elsewhere, and its original slate roof. Local builders Valentine Parrish and Albert Cosby may have worked on it. Inside, a pressed metal ceiling and reconfigured pews date from 1880s updates, while carved wooden window valances with pulley systems for Venetian blinds survive as a rare mid-19th-century feature. A large cemetery with graves from the 1850s lies behind the church. The congregation descends from groups gathered by the Reverend Samuel Davies in the 1740s. It also hosted the first countywide Sunday School in 1934. The property was recognized for its architecture, combining typical rural church design with unusually well-preserved original features and setting.","period_of_significance":"1837-1950","architect_builder":"Possibly Valentine Parrish and possibly Albert Cosby","architectural_style":"Mid-19th Century, Greek Revival","criteria":["C"],"status_note":"Still used as a religious facility with an active cemetery; a brick wing was added at the rear in 1952.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:51:59.868341-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/61/6809/41680961/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_VA/00001438.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/00001438/f4e614741a-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/00001438/f4e614741a-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Jjmusgrove","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Byrd_Presbyterian_Church.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Jjmusgrove</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:Byrd_Presbyterian_Church.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/41680961","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Byrd_Presbyterian_Church","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5004229"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/virginia/goochland-county/byrd-presbyterian-church-00001438/"}