Christ Church

John Carter had the first church built on this site; it was completed in 1670 after his death. In 1730, his son Robert “King” Carter, colonial Virginia’s most powerful planter, proposed to build a brick church here at his own expense, which the vestry of Christ Church Parish accepted. Finished in 1735, Christ Church is the best-preserved and most finely crafted of colonial Virginia’s Anglican parish churches. The church’s detailed brickwork, particularly the molded-brick doorways, distinguishes the exterior. The interior includes original high-backed pews, triple-decker pulpit, walnut altarpiece, and stone pavers. The elaborately carved tombs of Robert Carter and his two wives stand in the churchyard.

Marker is on Christ Church Road (County Route 646) just south of Weems Road (Virginia Route 222), on the right when traveling south.

Courtesy hmdb.org

Credits and Sources:

HMDB