Flint Hill Baptist Church
Also known as: VDHR File No. 78-66
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Why it's listed
Flint Hill Baptist Church is a one-story frame and weatherboard church on a random rubble stone foundation in the village of Flint Hill, Rappahannock County, Virginia. Built in 1854 as a plain gable-roofed building with two front entrances, it became a more fashionable Victorian church in the 1890s, when an entrance tower with a belfry and rear Sunday school rooms were added and the interior was remodeled with faux-grained woodwork. The sanctuary holds six large opalescent stained-glass windows, probably installed around 1900, which are described as rare in size and quality for a small church and unmatched elsewhere in the county. The congregation formed in 1854 and is one of the county's earliest Baptist groups. A small churchyard cemetery includes the grave of Albert Gallatin Willis, a young Baptist hanged in 1864 during the Civil War. The church was recognized for its architecture, as a surviving mid-nineteenth-century rural church.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the church is a typical but rare surviving example in Rappahannock County of a mid-nineteenth-century rural church. It is notable for its late-19th-century Victorian features and for six opalescent stained-glass windows whose size and quality are rare for a small church. The building has changed little since the windows were installed around 1900.
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 97001509, listed December 1, 1997. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 0.3 mi N of jct. of US 522 and VA 729, Flint Hill |
|---|---|
| County | Rappahannock County |
| Listed | December 1, 1997 |
| Reference number | 97001509 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1854 to ca. 1900 |
| Architect / builder | unknown |
| Architectural style | Late Victorian |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | The church closed in 1968 and reopened on May 19, 1996; the few remaining members want to preserve the building. The cemetery is still listed as a current function. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 38.76417, -78.09993 (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 97001509.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q15217872
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.