{"nrhp_refnum":"04001542","name":"Mt. Olive Methodist Episcopal Church","other_names":["DHR File No. 053-0994"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"20460 Gleedsville Rd.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Leesburg","county":"Loudoun County","state":"VA","lat":39.053008790000035,"lon":-77.60272188599998,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2005-01-20","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Black"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A single-story, Late Gothic Revival-style wood frame church built in 1890 on Gleedsville Road, about three miles south of Leesburg in Loudoun County, Virginia. It sits on a 0.51-acre lot with a fieldstone foundation and a semi-hexagonal rear apse.","why_significant":"The church was built by ex-slaves from nearby Oatlands Plantation on land they owned, and it served as a place of worship, a meeting place for mutual aid societies and the center of community life in the town of Gleedsville. It is argued to be significant for its association with the cultural and social history of African-Americans in central Loudoun County during a pivotal period. The building survives as a symbol of a community that disappeared by the mid-20th century.","narrative":"Built in 1890 on Gleedsville Road south of Leesburg, this small wood frame church was raised by formerly enslaved people from Oatlands Plantation on land they had bought themselves. The building measures forty-two by twenty-three feet and has a front gable roof, a projecting vestibule, a semi-hexagonal apse and a local fieldstone foundation. Its braced frame was already outdated by 1890, and the gable carries decorative shingles in three patterns, a mix described as rare in Loudoun County. Inside, narrow wood boards cover the walls and ceiling, and many of the pine pews appear original. A marble cornerstone is dated October 12, 1890. The church served as a house of worship, a gathering place for mutual aid societies such as the Odd Fellows, and the center of community life in Gleedsville. As the town declined and disappeared by the mid-twentieth century, the church remained as a reminder of the community. It is still used for religious and community meetings.","period_of_significance":"1890-1954","architect_builder":"Unknown","architectural_style":"Late 19th and 20th Century Revivals: Late Gothic Revival","criteria":["A"],"status_note":"Described as in good condition and currently used for both religious and community meetings; limited restoration work has been done on the foundation, windows and apse.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:52:03.280905-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/55/6816/41681655/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_VA/04001542.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/04001542/b034b9110c-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/04001542/b034b9110c-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Cecouchman","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:MtOliveMEChurch_front.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Cecouchman</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:MtOliveMEChurch_front.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/41681655","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mt._Olive_Methodist_Episcopal_Church","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q14712927"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/virginia/loudoun-county/mt-olive-methodist-episcopal-church-04001542/"}