Little Fork Church
Little Fork Episcopal Church, the only colonial church in Culpeper County , is located off Route
229, 10 miles north of Culpeper, Virginia . The Church, listed on the Virginia Landmarks
Register and the National Register of Historic Places, is widely appreciated as a structural
document of early churchmanship and craftsmanship.
HISTORY
In 1730 St. Mark’s parish was using a small wooden “chapel of ease” within the Little Fork
between the Rappahannock and Hazel Rivers. In 1773 this chapel burned and the Vestry decided
to build a new church of wood near the site of the destroyed chapel. Shortly thereafter, they
reconsidered and agreed to build a brick church “… eighty feet long and thirty feet wide in the
clear … twenty feet pitch … on the land of Peter Bowmer.” The first payment to the
“undertaker” (builder), William Phillips, was 35,000 pounds of tobacco. The church, designed by
John Voss, was to be finished by November 1, 1776 . Among the early rectors of Little Fork
were the Rev. John Thompson (1740-1772), the Rev. James Stevenson (1785-1805), and the Rev.
John Woodville (1805-1835).
Members of the Little Fork congregation were among the Culpeper Minute Men who heeded
Governor Patrick Henry’s call-to-arms in 1775. Early in the Civil War, the church grounds were
used as a drill field by the Little Fork Rangers; the Rangers became Company D of the 4th
Virginia Cavalry. Later, as the War moved south, Union troops quartered at the church and in the
harsh winter of 1863-64 destroyed most of the interior furnishings for firewood. After the War, a
contrite Union officer sent $100 to the old church and stipulated that it be used for new pews,
presumably to replace those vandalized for campfires.
Regularly weekly services at Little Fork ceased with the outset of the Civil War and were not
recommenced after the War’s destruction. For over a century, church services were held at least
annually as the congregation of St. Stephen’s parish in Culpeper would travel out to the old
church building for “Little Fork day,” a tradition maintained to this day. Regular services
resumed after the restoration.
RESTORATION
James Scott Rawlings, in his 1963 book Virginia’s Colonial Churches stated that Little Fork
“although, as an architectural monument, is without a superior in Culpeper, Orange , Fauquier,
Rappahannock, Madison , and still other nearby counties … is one of the two or three most
neglected of colonial churches.” This could not be allowed to continue, and concerned citizens
from around the country, led by a committee chaired by the late Mr. Welly K. Hopkins and
Lieutenant-General (ret.) Andrew J. Boyle, joined in efforts to fund a restoration of the Church in
the Little Fork. Restoration began on the building’s, and our country’s, bicentennial.
An accurate description of the Church was available from excellent church records along with
the research done by Milton Grigg, the well-known authority on colonial construction. The
exterior wall of the church is brick, laid in Flemish bond. The covered cornice, some floorboards,
the ornate wooden paneled reredos, and most of the interior ceiling are original. The Church still
uses the original Queen Anne silver communion set.
The Church has been completely restored, including the boxed pews and wine-glass pulpit, and it
is exactly as it was when completed in 1776. It took three years, 1773-1776, for its construction
and the same length of time for its restoration, 1976-1979.
A LIVING CHURCH
The greatest testament to the founders and builders of this architectural masterpiece, and the
thousands of souls who worshipped in its pews and met at its communion rail, is that after the
restoration of the building, Little Fork became again a living house of worship re-consecrated by
the Bishop of the Diocese of Virginia. Today, regular Sunday worship services are conducted at
a renewed Little Fork Episcopal Church (for service times, please call the parish office at 540937-4306 or check www.littleforkchurch.net).
Little Fork is a small, but growing, rural church community welcoming all into its historic and
consecrated building. Adult and youth Christian Education are offered throughout the academic
year, and a number of ministries and small groups serve the church and community.
The old Burying Ground has also been re-established and re-consecrated. Burial sites are
available for purchase (inquiries should be addressed to the Little Fork Church Burying Ground
Committee).
PRESERVATION
Now that the Church has been restored, it seems only prudent to provide for its future
maintenance. Unfortunately, the cost of maintaining this historic building, a regional and national
landmark, in its original condition is beyond the means of its small congregation. It is clear,
though, that the building must never be neglected again. To preclude this and looking forward to
the next two hundred years, the Little Fork Church Preservation Committee has established a
fund to be used solely for the perpetual maintenance of the Church and grounds. Please join us as
a Friend of Historic Little Fork Church:
Individual
$25
annualcontribution
Family
$50
annualcontribution
Sustaining
$200
Life
annualcontribution
one-time
(orcombined
$1000
lifetime)contribution
The names of Life members are inscribed on a bronze plaque in the Church. Tax-deductible
contributions can be made to “Little Fork Church Preservation Committee” and mailed to:
Little Fork Church Preservation Committee
P.O. Box 367
Rixeyville, VA22737
In addition to the above contributions, Little Fork can be remembered in your will, and the
preservation of this remarkable historic and religious edifice is a fine opportunity to create a
memorial to a departed friend or loved-one. If you would like to make a restricted contribution
through a trust, please contact the church.
Please drive by and see this colonial building on Rte. 724 just east of Rte. 229, 10 miles north of
Culpeper Virginia, and visit our congregation on a Sunday morning.