Oakland Presbyterian Church and Cemetery
A Brief History
William Henry Haynes, Sr. donated land for the Oakland Church and cemetery in 1811 to trustees James M. Montague, John P. Haynes, David Williamson and William H. Haynes, Jr. But the deed was not recorded until 1859. The original structure is said to have been of logs.
Organization of the Presbyterian Church is noted as 1834 and construction on the brick church began in 1845. The bricks were made on the nearby Haynes plantation and carried in saddlebags on horseback to this site.
The architecture of the church carries the Scotch-Irish style plain and sturdy.
The church was originally called “the church by the springs” and served all the surrounding communities and denominations. It is the mother church to other churches in the communities of Clifton Forge, Iron Gate, Rich Patch and Low Moor. The church served as a hospital for the sick and wounded during the Civil War and there are twelve Confederate soldiers buried in the graveyard.
Regular services were held at the church with many changes in the number of attendance and denominations, until December 23, 1963.
Low Moor Presbyterian Church is the caretaker of the church and holds a homecoming celebration each year.
Marker can be reached from Selma Low Moor Road (Virginia Route 696) 0.2 miles west of Oakland Drive (Virginia Route 1002), on the right when traveling west.
Courtesy hmdb.org
