{"nrhp_refnum":"73002030","name":"Upper Church, Stratton Major Parish","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"SE of Shanghai on VA 14","address_restricted":false,"city":"Shanghai","county":"King and Queen County","state":"VA","lat":37.60303096000007,"lon":-76.77012709882152,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1973-04-02","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture","Religion"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"Upper Church is a rectangular brick colonial church on the southwest side of Route 14, near Shanghai in King and Queen County, Virginia. It is believed to have been built between 1724 and 1729 and measures 64' x 33'9\".","why_significant":"It is the only surviving colonial church of those that served Stratton Major Parish. The nomination calls it one of the most architecturally sophisticated early-eighteenth-century churches in Virginia and a classic example of the rectilinear church form. It is noted for its proportions, glazed Flemish bond brickwork and high-quality molded brick doorways.","narrative":"Upper Church is a colonial brick church on Route 14 near Shanghai, King and Queen County, Virginia. Believed to have been built between 1724 and 1729, it is the only surviving colonial church among those that once served Stratton Major Parish, which was created in 1655. Anglicans abandoned it in 1768 when a new parish church opened. Baptists later used it until about 1842, then a school occupied it until fire destroyed the roof and interior. The church was rebuilt within the original walls in 1850 and later came under Methodist control; a Methodist congregation still uses it. The rectangular building has a steep gable roof, Flemish bond walls with glazed headers, rubbed and gauged brick details and round gable windows. Its molded brick doorways are considered especially fine. A modern addition hides most of the west doorway, and the interior has no original fabric. Despite these changes, it is regarded as an architecturally sophisticated example of early eighteenth-century Virginia church design.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":"Colonial rectilinear church form","criteria":[],"status_note":"Occupied and in good condition; still owned and used by a Methodist congregation, which calls it Old Church. Altered by a modern addition and the loss of its original wooden parts.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:51:57.716846-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/5/6814/41681405/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_VA/73002030.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/73002030/687fd38df3-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/73002030/687fd38df3-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Michael Kotrady","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Stratton_Major_1.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Michael Kotrady</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:Stratton_Major_1.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/41681405","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Upper_Church,_Stratton_Major_Parish","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q14713416"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/virginia/king-and-queen-county/upper-church-stratton-major-parish-73002030/"}