{"nrhp_refnum":"80004189","name":"Bremo Slave Chapel","other_names":["Grace Church Parish Hall"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"N of Bremo Bluff","address_restricted":false,"city":"Bremo Bluff","county":"Fluvanna County","state":"VA","lat":37.71723465400004,"lon":-78.29710278599998,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1980-03-17","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture","Religion","Social History"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A small board-and-batten Gothic Revival chapel, 24'5\" by 43'4\", built in 1835 on General John Hartwell Cocke's Bremo plantation in Fluvanna County, Virginia. It was later moved to Bremo Bluff and now serves as the parish hall of Grace Episcopal Church.","why_significant":"The nomination argues it is the only known structure in Virginia used as a chapel for slaves. It reflects Cocke's deep concern with the morality of slavery and the religious life of enslaved people. It is also noted for its Gothic Revival architecture and its three successive uses.","narrative":"Built in 1835 on the Bremo plantation of General John Hartwell Cocke, this wood-frame chapel with board-and-batten siding was used for worship by enslaved people. It is the only known structure in Virginia built for that purpose. Cocke opposed slavery in principle, supported emigration of Black Americans to Africa, and believed a Christian had a duty to provide religious instruction to his slaves. After the Civil War the chapel fell into disuse. Between 1882 and 1884 it was moved to Bremo Bluff and altered, gaining its pointed-arch windows, and was consecrated as Grace Church in February 1884. When a new brick church was built in 1924, the chapel was moved again and became the parish hall. A slate roof, brick foundation, Gothic double doors and a later rear vestry survive. The chapel has served three functions: a place of worship for slaves, an Episcopal church, and a parish hall.","period_of_significance":"1800-1899","architect_builder":"unknown, probably J. H. Cocke","architectural_style":"Gothic Revival","criteria":[],"status_note":"Occupied and in use as the parish hall of Grace Episcopal Church; condition listed as good, altered and moved.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:51:57.68723-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/28/6807/41680728/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_VA/80004189.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/80004189/4be9f57447-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/80004189/4be9f57447-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY 3.0","author":"Wb256","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bremo_slave_chapel.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Wb256</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bremo_slave_chapel.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/41680728","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bremo_Slave_Chapel","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q4960597"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/virginia/fluvanna-county/bremo-slave-chapel-80004189/"}