{"nrhp_refnum":"89001927","name":"Bethel Memorial Church","other_names":["Bethel Baptist Memorial Church","VDHL Site No. 21-35"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"Co. Rt. 622","address_restricted":false,"city":"White Post","county":"Clarke County","state":"VA","lat":39.02913011900006,"lon":-78.04656003899998,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1991-02-07","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A two-story rectangular brick Baptist church with a graveyard, located off County Route 622 in southern Clarke County near White Post, Virginia, built between 1833 and 1836 on a site once used by a Quaker meeting house.","why_significant":"The nomination presents it under Criterion C for architecture as one of Clarke County's best preserved religious buildings, remaining largely unchanged since its 1833-36 construction. It also notes the congregation's long role in the community, documented in minute books from 1808 to 1930.","narrative":"Bethel Memorial Church is a two-story brick Baptist church off County Route 622 in southern Clarke County, Virginia. Built between 1833 and 1836, it is laid in five-course American bond on a low brick basement, with a standing seam metal gable roof and twelve-over-twelve windows. Two eight-panel doors mark the east entrance facade. Inside, a gallery on three sides rests on slender Doric columns, and the pew ends show grain painting. Oil lamps installed in 1874 remain in use, since the building has never been electrified. A graveyard with two family plots lies to the north. The site was earlier home to a Quaker meeting house, and a Baptist congregation took it over in 1808. Its minute books, kept from 1808 to 1930, record the life of the congregation, including female and black members. The church was listed for architectural significance as one of the county's best preserved religious buildings, little altered since construction.","period_of_significance":"1833-1836","architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":"Early Republic/Federal","criteria":["C"],"status_note":"Has experienced long periods of non-use since 1930; restoration efforts continued from the 1940s, and efforts are being made to diversify its uses and make it more accessible. It has never been electrified and still uses oil lamps.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:52:00.803154-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/0/6802/41680200/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_VA/89001927.pdf"},"photo":null,"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/41680200","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bethel_Memorial_Church","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q14712024"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/virginia/clarke-county/bethel-memorial-church-89001927/"}