Little Brick Church
You are here
Virginia's Chapel (Little Brick Church)
1853. 1910. 1980, Paul D. Marshall and Associates. West side of U.S. 60, 1 mile south of intersection with Kanawha County 81
William Tompkins promised his daughter Virginia anything she wanted when she completed her education. She asked for a church, and this small brick chapel was the embodiment of her wish. Completed in 1853, it suffered harsh treatment from both sides during the Civil War. Confederates used it as a hospital, and Union troops commandeered it as a stable. A $700 reparation from the U.S. government helped spur postwar repairs. The Tompkinses intended the chapel to be used by all denominations, but eventually Methodists gained exclusive use, adding a new belfry and lengthening the building by one bay in 1910. Side walls have simple Gothic lancet windows and sawtooth brick cornices, while the oddly composed facade has an arched entrance in the base of the tower, a blind frame stage above, and then a large, louvered octagonal belfry surmounted by a short spire. The chapel, now crowded between highway and railroad, is surrounded by an earlier graveyard. Though used only occasionally, Virginia's graduation gift remains a well-loved area landmark.
Writing Credits
If SAH Archipedia has been useful to you, please consider supporting it.
SAH Archipedia tells the story of the United States through its buildings, landscapes, and cities. This freely available resource empowers the public with authoritative knowledge that deepens their understanding and appreciation of the built environment. But the Society of Architectural Historians, which created SAH Archipedia with University of Virginia Press, needs your support to maintain the high-caliber research, writing, photography, cartography, editing, design, and programming that make SAH Archipedia a trusted online resource available to all who value the history of place, heritage tourism, and learning.