Old Chapel
Why it's listed
Old Chapel is a rectangular, three-bay stone church of coursed rubble limestone with a wood-shingle gable roof, standing on a slope above its burying ground near Millwood in Clarke County. It was completed in 1793 on two acres given by Colonel Nathaniel Burwell of Carter Hall, beside the site of Cunningham's Chapel, a log building from 1747. Inside are a high pulpit with a plain sounding board, an altar rail with turned balusters, straight-backed family pews marked with brass plaques, and a west gallery reached by an exterior stair. The original twelve-over-twelve sashes and frames survive. Old Chapel is described as the oldest Episcopal church building west of the Blue Ridge. A larger congregation built a new church in Millwood by 1834, and services at the chapel became sporadic. It is now used once a year. The graveyard, enclosed by a rubble wall, holds Governor Edmund Randolph, Colonel Burwell and members of the Burwell and Page families.
Significance in brief: The nomination calls it the oldest Episcopal church building west of the Blue Ridge Mountains, though architecturally plain. It replaced Cunningham's Chapel, a log church built in 1747, and its graveyard holds notable Virginians such as Governor Edmund Randolph and Colonel Nathaniel Burwell. Significance is recorded under architecture and religion at the local level.
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 73002004, listed April 2, 1973. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 3 mi. N of Millwood off U.S. 340, Millwood |
|---|---|
| County | Clarke County |
| Listed | April 2, 1973 |
| Reference number | 73002004 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 18th Century (specific date 1793) |
| Areas of significance | Architecture, Religion |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Condition listed as good and unaltered on its original site. Services are held only once a year, and the burying ground is still in use. |
| Acreage | 9.9 |
| Within district | Chapel Rural Historic District |
| Coordinates | 39.10687, -78.01458 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
Religious properties are listed for their architectural or historical significance, not their religious use. Listing is honorary and does not restrict the congregation's use of the building. The federal rehabilitation credit is generally unavailable unless part of the building is income-producing; some state programmes and preservation grants do cover religious buildings. Federal funding or permits trigger Section 106 review.
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 73002004.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q14713006
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.