{"nrhp_refnum":"91000830","name":"Chilhowie Methodist Episcopal Church","other_names":["Chilhowie United Methodist Church","DHR File No. 86-14"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"501 Old Stage Rd.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Chilhowie","county":"Smyth County","state":"VA","lat":36.80248164900007,"lon":-81.68199512899997,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1991-07-03","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A cruciform-plan brick Methodist church at 501 Old Stage Road in Chilhowie, Smyth County, Virginia, built in 1893-94. The builder and architect are unknown.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the church is an unusually sophisticated example of Late Gothic Revival architecture in a sparsely settled rural community. Its cruciform plan is unique in Smyth County, where rectangular churches are the norm. The exterior and interior remain largely as built apart from later additions.","narrative":"Built in 1893-94 of local pressed golden brown brick, this church on Old Stage Road in Chilhowie has a cruciform plan, a gabled roof and a projecting central bell tower topped by a tall spire. Lancet windows with contrasting brick hood molds, stained glass, transepts and a vaulted pine ceiling mark it as a sophisticated example of Late Gothic Revival design. In a town that was then sparsely settled, it was an unusual building, and it remains the only cruciform church in Smyth County, where rectangular plans prevail. The architect is unknown, though one local theory credits E. J. Rutland, the English-born superintendent of the local brick plant. The congregation traces back to the Sulphur Springs Methodist Church of 1806, and some materials, including foundation limestone, were reportedly reused from that older building. Additions were made in 1935 and 1960, and a metal roof was laid in 1989-90. The church remains in religious use.","period_of_significance":"1893-94","architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":"Late 19th and 20th Century Revivals: Late Gothic Revival","criteria":["C"],"status_note":"Still in use as a church; the congregation is described as active, with 278 members at the time of the nomination.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:52:00.704493-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/48/6836/41683648/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_VA/91000830.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/91000830/83822da2ac-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/91000830/83822da2ac-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 4.0","author":"Jerrye &amp; Roy Klotz, MD","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:CHILHOWIE_METHODIST_EPISCOPAL_CHURCH;_SMYTH_COUNTY.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Jerrye &amp;amp; Roy Klotz, MD</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 4.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:CHILHOWIE_METHODIST_EPISCOPAL_CHURCH;_SMYTH_COUNTY.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/41683648","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chilhowie_Methodist_Episcopal_Church","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q15209679"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/virginia/smyth-county/chilhowie-methodist-episcopal-church-91000830/"}