Blandford Church
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Blandford Church | |
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The church as it looks today. | |
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| Location | 319 S. Crater Rd., Petersburg, Virginia |
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| Coordinates | 37°13′33″N 77°23′16″W / 37.22583°N 77.38778°WCoordinates: 37°13′33″N 77°23′16″W / 37.22583°N 77.38778°W |
| Area | 9 acres (3.6 ha) |
| Built | 1736 |
| NRHP Reference # | 72001513[1] |
| VLR # | 123-0039 |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | May 31, 1972 |
| Designated VLR | April 18, 1972[2] |
The Brick Church on Well's Hill, now known as Old Blandford Church of Bristol Parish, is located in Petersburg, Virginia adjacent to Blandford Cemetery. Erected in 1735, the church building was abandoned in 1806 after the building of another Episcopal church in Petersburg when the Town of Blandford was absorbed by Petersburg. Necessary repairs for its preservation were made by the City of Petersburg in 1882.[3] As part of the restoration project, the Ladies' Memorial Association solicited funds from each former Confederate state for the creation and installation of a stained glass window in memory of the Confederate soldiers from that state. Louis Comfort Tiffany's studio was commissioned to design the fifteen memorial compass windows. Each of the large windows contains the image of a Saint and symbols associated with the Saint. The four smaller windows were designed to complement the larger ones.[4]
History
At their meeting on November 18, 1900, the Ladies' Memorial Association decided to ask permission to make "Old Blandford Church" into a "mortuary and memorial chapel. "[5] Fifteen windows were installed between 1904 and 1912. Most display a state seal, the figure of a saint, and an inscription. Eleven were donated by each of the former Confederate states: North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, Texas, Georgia, Louisiana, Tennessee, and Arkansas. Two were donated by Missouri and Maryland. Kentucky, another border state, was the only state that refused to participate. In addition, there is a window of a Christian cross of jewels donated by Louis Comfort Tiffany.[6][7]
It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1972.[1]
Confederate state windows and representative saints
- Saint John the Evangelist- Virginia
- Saint Paul- Louisiana: The Washington Artillery funded the Louisiana window. It is the only state window that doesn't include a state seal. Instead, it features the insignia of the Washington Artillery.[6]
- Saint Bartholomew- North Carolina
- Saint Philip the Apostle- Tennessee
- Saint James the Less- Mississippi
- Saint Luke- Texas
- Saint Peter- Missouri
- Saint Mark- South Carolina
- Saint Andrew- Alabama
- Saint Thomas the Apostle- Georgia
- Saint Matthew- Florida
References
- 1 2 Staff (2010-07-09). "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service.
- ↑ "Virginia Landmarks Register". Virginia Department of Historic Resources. Retrieved 19 March 2013.
- ↑ "Crater Road". Retrieved July 23, 2012.
- ↑ "City of Petersburg Tourist Information". Retrieved June 23, 2014.
- ↑ Minutes, LMA meetings of May 1, 1899 and Nov. 18, 1900
- 1 2 Peters, John. Blandford Cemetery: Death and Life at Petersburg, Virginia. Petersburg, VA. The Historic Blandford Cemetery Foundation, Inc. ISBN 0-9772514-0-3
- ↑ Virginia Historic Landmarks Commission Staff (April 1972). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination: Blandford Church" (PDF). Virginia Department of Historic Resources. and Accompanying photo
