Glebe Burying Ground
Also known as: Glebe Cemetery
Why it's listed
Glebe Burying Ground is a small cemetery tucked into woods on the east side of a ridge between Middle River and Back Creek, near Swoope in western Augusta County. It occupies the former glebe, the income-producing land bought by the Augusta Parish vestry in 1749. The surviving stones run from Mary Trimble's 1770 marker to an 1891 stone, and together they trace changes in local gravestone design. The earliest markers are flat horizontal slabs with head and footstones, reflecting German settlement. Early 19th-century sandstone markers carry six-point and eight-point stars, and some are inscribed in German script. By the mid-19th century, white marble memorials with willow, urn and obelisk motifs had replaced them. Buried here are Col. John Willson, a member of the House of Burgesses, and several Revolutionary War veterans. The cemetery was listed because it documents how Scotch-Irish, English and German settlers and their descendants blended traditions in the Valley of Virginia. It is now county-owned and maintained by the County Historical Society.
Significance in brief: The cemetery holds a large number of surviving stones that show how local funerary art changed among Scotch-Irish, English, and German settlers and their descendants. These changes give insight into acculturation in the Valley of Virginia during the first half of the 19th century. The form acknowledges that cemeteries are usually not eligible, but argues this one illustrates an important sequence in regional funerary art.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 85002722, listed October 1, 1985. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | S of Swoope on VA 876, Swoope |
|---|---|
| County | Augusta County |
| Listed | October 1, 1985 |
| Reference number | 85002722 |
| Resource type | Site |
| Period of significance | 1700-1799, 1800-1899 |
| Areas of significance | Art, Exploration/Settlement |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Listed as unoccupied and vacant; owned by Augusta County and maintained by the County Historical Society. Access is restricted. |
| Acreage | 1 |
| Coordinates | 38.10944, -79.22200 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
Sites (archaeological sites, battlefields, landscapes) are often listed with a restricted address to protect them from looting or disturbance. Listing is honorary for private owners; federal undertakings on or near the site go through Section 106 review, and state laws may protect burials and artefacts regardless of listing.
Noted as vacant in the nomination. Nomination documents can be decades old; current status may differ. If you are considering buying an empty listed property, read the due-diligence checklist.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 85002722.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q14712361
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.