Burke's Garden Central Church And Cemetery
Also known as: Burke's Garden Lutheran Church
Why it's listed
Burke's Garden Central Church and Cemetery sit along a low ridge in a natural bowl atop Garden Mountain in eastern Tazewell County, Virginia. The present church, built in 1875, is a plain rectangular frame building with a steep gable roof and 6/6 sash windows. The cemetery, with burials beginning in 1827, is the main point of interest. It contains thick sandstone markers decorated on both sides with sunflowers, stars, pinwheels and hearts. Their style suggests one unknown carver also made stones at Zion and Kimberling churches in Wythe County and Sharon Church in Bland County. This ties the site to German settlers who reached this far corner of Southwest Virginia in the late 18th century. The church began as a shared building among denominations and the cemetery has always been open to all. Later markers include a neo-Grec obelisk from 1889 and handmade concrete stones made by D. G. Heninger, showing that local handcraft continued into the twentieth century.
Significance in brief: The cemetery holds a collection of rare Germanic sandstone grave markers, mostly carved in the 1820s and 1830s, linked to German settlements in Wythe and Bland counties. The site marks the furthest extent of German settlement in far Southwest Virginia. It also served as a union church and cemetery shared by several denominations, and the Lutheran congregation is regarded as the mother church of Tazewell County Lutherans.
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 79003092, listed May 7, 1979. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | SE of Burke's Garden on VA 623, Burke's Garden |
|---|---|
| County | Tazewell County |
| Listed | May 7, 1979 |
| Reference number | 79003092 |
| Resource type | District |
| Period of significance | 1800-1899 |
| Architectural style | 19th-century vernacular, with no stylistic detailing |
| Areas of significance | Art, European, Exploration/Settlement, Religion |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | The form describes the church as unaltered and on its original site, and states that Lutherans alone have worshipped there in modern times. |
| Acreage | 2.5 |
| Within district | Burke's Garden Rural Historic District |
| Coordinates | 37.09223, -81.33514 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
This is a historic district. Buildings within its boundary are either contributing (they add to the district's significance) or non-contributing. Owners of contributing income-producing buildings can claim the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit; homeowners should look at state credits. National Register districts impose no design review by themselves; a local historic district ordinance, if one exists, does (the difference explained).
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 79003092.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q4998909
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.