Koiner's Church
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Trinity Lutheran Church (Koiner's Church)
1880; 1901–1902 enlarged. 2564 Rockfish Rd.
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(Photograph by Mark Mones) -
(Virginia Department of Historic Resources) -
(Photograph by Mark Mones) -
(Photograph by Mark Mones) -
(Photograph by Mark Mones) -
Jacob Barger gravestone (Photograph by Mark Mones) -
Jacob Barger gravestone (reverse) (Photograph by Mark Mones) -
Jacob Barger gravestone (Photograph by Mark Mones)
Located near South River in northeastern Augusta County, Koiner's Church reflects the rich heritage of the early German settlers in this region. Organized by 1772, this congregation was the first Lutheran church in the county and one of the oldest in the Valley. The initial log building, called Spindle's Meeting House, was replaced by a brick church in 1834 and by the current building in 1880. The church today reflects a form typical among prospering rural congregations in the late nineteenth century—a simple rectangular brick design with unadorned brick pilasters framing recessed sections, louvered frame belfry, and small frame porch. Enlarged in 1902, the church retains the pews and interior furnishings from this period. The cemetery contains the tomb of Jacob Barger (1794), one of the most unusual German stones in the Valley. Its elaborately carved designs are reminiscent of German fraktur. A number of other early stones feature German inscriptions and other, slightly simpler German designs.
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