The Tinkling Spring Presbyterian Church is a

Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a historically Reformed Protestant tradition named for its form of church government by representative assemblies of elders, known as "presbyters". Though other Reformed churches are structurally similar, the word ''Pr ...

church founded in 1740, and is the oldest Presbyterian congregation in the Valley of Virginia (the

Shenandoah Valley The Shenandoah Valley () is a geographic valley and cultural region of western Virginia and the eastern panhandle of West Virginia in the United States. The Valley is bounded to the east by the Blue Ridge Mountains, to the west by the east ...

). Its historic building is listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

(NRHP). The church's first building was a log structure built during 1742–1748. Much of the cost of the original meeting house was underwritten by Colonel James Patton. It took nearly three years to finish, with some controversy between Patton and his uncle

John Lewis John Robert Lewis (February 21, 1940 – July 17, 2020) was an American civil rights activist and politician who served in the United States House of Representatives for from 1987 until his death in 2020. He participated in the 1960 Nashville ...

over where it was to be located. The first service was held there on 14 April 1745, when the Reverend John Craig wrote: "This being the first day we meet at the contentious meeting-house, about half-built." The log structure was replaced by a stone building in 1790. Its 1850

Greek Revival Greek Revival architecture is a architectural style, style that began in the middle of the 18th century but which particularly flourished in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, predominantly in northern Europe, the United States, and Canada, ...

building is its third building, and is significant architecturally for being designed by

Robert Lewis Dabney Robert Lewis Dabney (March 5, 1820 – January 3, 1898) was a Presbyterian Church in the United States, Southern Presbyterian pastor and theologian, Confederate States Army, Confederate army chaplain, and architect from Virginia. He was also ...

who served as pastor there from 1852–1857. an
accompanying photo
This Greek Revival building, along with two other churches designed by Dabney, is credited with influencing ecclesiastical architecture in Virginia. Dabney designed at least two other NRHP-listed churches, Briery Church, in Briery, Virginia, and New Providence Presbyterian Church, near Brownsburg, Virginia. The building was listed on the

in 1973.

References

External links

Tinkling Springs Church, State Route 608, Fishersville, Augusta County, VA
5 measured drawings at

Historic American Buildings Survey The asterisk ( ), from Late Latin , from Ancient Greek , , "little star", is a Typography, typographical symbol. It is so called because it resembles a conventional image of a star (heraldry), heraldic star. Computer scientists and Mathematici ...

Churches on the National Register of Historic Places in Virginia Greek Revival church buildings in Virginia Churches completed in 1850 Buildings and structures in Augusta County, Virginia Historic American Buildings Survey in Virginia National Register of Historic Places in Augusta County, Virginia 1850 establishments in Virginia Brick buildings and structures in Virginia {{Virginia-Presbyterian-church-stub