{"nrhp_refnum":"82004670","name":"Oakland Grove Presbyterian Church","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"VA 696","address_restricted":false,"city":"Selma","county":"Alleghany County","state":"VA","lat":37.80191727700003,"lon":-79.86013629499996,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1982-07-08","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture","Religion"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A small one-story brick country church, about 30 by 40 feet, on a wooded slope west of Selma in Alleghany County, Virginia. It was built around 1847 as a mission of Covington Presbyterian Church.","why_significant":"The nomination calls it the oldest known ecclesiastical structure in Alleghany County and a chief local landmark. It is a representative, little-altered example of a mid-19th-century country church. It also reflects the 1840s religious reawakening among Scotch-Irish Presbyterians and served as a Confederate hospital during the Civil War.","narrative":"Oakland Grove Presbyterian Church is a small brick country church west of Selma in Alleghany County, Virginia, built around 1847. The rectangular building measures 30 by 40 feet and rests on a coursed rubble foundation. Its facade is laid in Flemish bond, the other walls in American bond, and a molded brick cornice runs beneath a slate-covered gable roof. Inside, a single auditorium keeps its wide chestnut floor, box pews with scroll arms, and a gallery on three sides. The church has never been electrified and still uses kerosene lamps. It began as a mission of Covington Presbyterian Church during a religious revival among Scotch-Irish Presbyterians in the mountain region. It is regarded as the oldest known church building in the county. During the Civil War it served as a Confederate hospital, and soldiers were buried in its cemetery. It became an independent congregation in 1871 and led to churches at Low Moor, Clifton Forge and Rich Patch.","period_of_significance":"Ca. 1847","architect_builder":"Unknown","architectural_style":null,"criteria":[],"status_note":"Listed in fair condition, unaltered and on its original site; still occupied for religious use, with special services held for its members. It has never been electrified and is lit by kerosene lamps.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:51:57.204198-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/80/6794/41679480/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_VA/82004670.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/82004670/29170dec03-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/82004670/29170dec03-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Nyttend","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Oakland_Grove_Presbyterian_Church.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Nyttend</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Oakland_Grove_Presbyterian_Church.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/41679480","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oakland_Grove_Presbyterian_Church","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7074005"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/virginia/alleghany-county/oakland-grove-presbyterian-church-82004670/"}