Butterwood Methodist Church and Butterwood Cemetery
Why it's listed
Butterwood Methodist Church is a white board-and-batten Carpenter Gothic sanctuary in the countryside near Darvills, Dinwiddie County, with a cemetery on its grounds. William Randolph Atkinson, a member of the congregation, designed and built it around 1866-67 on or near the site of an earlier Butterwood Chapel dating to about 1762. Steep pedimented gables, slim wooden pinnacles and concave gingerbread trim mark the exterior, while the interior keeps its original handmade box pews, doors and pulpit. The building is regarded as a rare public structure raised so soon after the Civil War. The cemetery adds a second layer of meaning. When the federal government condemned 48,000 acres for Camp Pickett in 1941-42, about 1,000 graves from abandoned church and family cemeteries were moved to nine acres around the church. The enlarged burial ground stands for the sacrifice made by this rural community during World War II. The church is also linked to the preacher Devereux Jarratt, who ministered here in the 1700s.
Significance in brief: The church is significant under Criterion C as a well-preserved Carpenter Gothic building erected soon after the Civil War, when few public buildings were raised in rural Virginia. It is significant under Criterion A because its enlarged cemetery symbolizes home-front sacrifice: about 1,000 graves were moved here when Camp Pickett was created at the start of World War II.
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 03000213, listed April 11, 2003. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | VA 40, Blackstone |
|---|---|
| County | Dinwiddie County |
| Listed | April 11, 2003 |
| Reference number | 03000213 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1762-1952 |
| Architect / builder | William Randolph Atkinson |
| Architectural style | Mid-19th Century: Gothic Revival (Carpenter Gothic) |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture, Military |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Still used as a church and cemetery; Sunday school and kitchen additions were made in 1950 and the 1980s, and original pews, doors and pulpit remain in use. |
| Acreage | 9.8 |
| Coordinates | 37.07262, -77.86113 (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 03000213.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q14712115
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.