Fork Episcopal Church (St. Martin's Parish Church)

One of nearly three dozen surviving eighteenth-century Anglican parish churches in Virginia, this structure has a simple rectangular plan, 34 feet by 74 feet, and eleven segmental-arched windows. The brick walls are 22 inches thick, with English bond below the water table and Flemish bond with regular glazed headers above. The bricks of the segmental arches and window jambs are rubbed a uniform red color in a manner characteristic of Virginia brickwork of the mid-eighteenth century. The modillion cornice and window sash and jambs were originally painted Spanish brown. The porches for the front and side entrances are from 1804. The church interior is one of the few not vandalized during disestablishment or by northern troops during the Civil War. Although much has been altered and moved around, a significant amount of the early fabric remains, including fragments of pews, doors, and locks, as well as the framing, flooring, staircase, and the balustrade of the west gallery. The pulpit originally stood on the north wall and was moved c. 1830 and again in 1913 to its present position. The pews are original, although cut down. The west gallery and stairway date to the original construction, but the lower partition is later.