{"nrhp_refnum":"78003034","name":"Olivet Presbyterian Church","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"2.7 mi. (4.3 km) NW of Providence Forge on VA 618","address_restricted":false,"city":"Providence Forge","county":"New Kent County","state":"VA","lat":37.480251261000035,"lon":-77.06346153999993,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1978-01-26","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture","Religion"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A small frame Greek Revival church built in 1856 in a wooded rural setting about 2.7 miles northwest of Providence Forge, New Kent County, Virginia, with an associated cemetery.","why_significant":"The nomination calls it a particularly handsome example of the small frame rural churches of the mid-nineteenth century, a type few of which survive in Tidewater Virginia. Its Doric portico, original pulpit and original pews with painted graining are singled out. It also reflects the history of Presbyterian activity in New Kent County.","narrative":"Olivet Presbyterian Church is a small frame building erected in 1856 in a wooded, isolated setting in New Kent County, Virginia. Built in the Greek Revival style, it has a temple form with a pedimented portico of four fluted Doric columns that slant slightly forward at the top, echoing a refinement of ancient Greek temples. Inside, a single large room holds the original platform and lectern, a south gallery with a sheaf-of-wheat balustrade, and slip pews grained to imitate mahogany and bird's-eye maple. The congregation separated from the Episcopalians in 1855 and built the church on the site of a Methodist church called Mt. Olivet, at a cost of $1,300 plus $1,000 for decoration. Membership fell after the Civil War, and in 1934 the congregation moved to Providence Forge. Since then the building has hosted memorial services once a year. It is notable as a little-altered rural church in a region where few survive.","period_of_significance":"1800-1899","architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":"Greek Revival","criteria":[],"status_note":"Used only for annual memorial services since 1934 but kept in a good state of repair; described as unaltered and occupied.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:51:57.702246-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/50/6820/41682050/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_VA/78003034.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/78003034/aa5189ecd0-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/78003034/aa5189ecd0-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Jjmusgrove","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Olivet_Presbyterian.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:Olivet_Presbyterian.JPG"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/41682050","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olivet_Presbyterian_Church","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q14713026"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/virginia/new-kent-county/olivet-presbyterian-church-78003034/"}