The entrance to Yeocomico Episcopal Church stands unique with its brick porch and historical wicket door. Photos courtesy of Dianne Saison.
Nestled on a quiet street in campestral Westmoreland County, resides a church steeped in faith, mystery, and revolution. Founded over 365 years ago, Yeocomico Episcopal Church, part of Cople Parish, stands today as not only the oldest church on the Northern Neck — but also the fifth oldest in the commonwealth and ninth oldest in the United States. From its ancient brick wall, to the grounds and interior furnishings, the whispers of our nation’s beginning, bloody battles for independence, and the strength of faith in the face of adversity call to visitors, sharing a tale that lingers in one’s soul long after the telling.
The altar is uniquely placed to the left of the pulpit and beautifully lit by large windows.
Within the brick outer wall, and to the left of Yeocomico Church, reside the unmarked graves of approximately 100 souls, who will forever remain unnamed.
The earliest known records indicate that Yeocomico Church, so called after the local river of the same name, was founded around 1653, with the first building of worship being built in 1655. Originally made of oaken timbers sheathed with clapboards in a medieval style, the existing structure was rebuilt around the frame of that first church in 1706 from brick fired in a kiln just yards from the site. Although no specific architect was in charge of construction, a stone in the yard commemorates the two main craftsmen, John Cogger and Peter Moon, British or Scottish immigrants who are also believed to have been ships’ carpenters.
Early members of the congregation included the first pillars of our nation, including Robert “Councillor” Carter III, and Colonel George Eskridge, a deputy to the House of Burgesses and guardian to Mary Washington, mother of George Washington. It is said that Mary often rode her dappled grey horse to services alongside Eskridge, who also served as a vestryman at Yeocomico Church from 1731-1735. Members of Virginia’s historic Lee family also attended the church, and on April 5, 1732, George Washington and Richard Henry Lee, writer of the Lee Resolution and signer of the Articles of Confederation, were baptized at Yeocomico Church.
The ancient font, used for both George Washington’s and Richard Henry Lee’s baptism, was lovingly restored to the church after the War of 1812, when it had been used for sacrilegious libation.
In 1781, all of the regional churches of England were abandoned. Used briefly as military barracks during the Civil War, and also a schoolhouse, Yeocomico Church then fell into disrepair, where it lay dormant for more than 30 years. The War of 1812, however, would bring not only battle to the church’s door, but also redemption.
The mysterious inscribed initials date to the earliest incarnation of Yeocomico Church, yet their meaning remains unsolved.
During the war, American troops were patrolling the Potomac, which was being heavily bombarded by British forces. In 1814, an infantryman well versed in the area, suggested troops fall back to the Yeocomico Church grounds, where a fresh spring, long used to refresh thirsty parishioners, could help alleviate the discomfort of heat and mosquitoes plaguing the soldiers. It was during this time that the communion table and baptismal font, of Washington and Lee fame, were removed and “greatly abused” by the troops. The
table is believed to have been used as a butcher’s block, while the font was absconded and taken miles away from the church to be used as a bowl for liquor and other spirits.
It was during this time that General John P. Hungerford arrived at the church along with 650 soldiers of the 36th U.S. Infantry Detachment, comprised of men from Westmoreland, Essex and Richmond Counties, to fight a British incursion of more than 1,200 fighters who had plans to utilize the Machodoc and Nomini Creeks to further the incursion north towards Alexandria. A terrible battle ensued, nearby Nomini Church was burned to ash, and area homes and plantations were destroyed. British officers cried foul, claiming that the American soldiers had purposely left poisoned wine for the British to find at the nearby Thompson House. A formal charge was made by the British accusing the Virginia Militia of “Uncivilized Warfare,” however, on August 3, 1814, after a week-long court of inquiry was held at Yeocomico Church, Lt. Col Vincent Branham, Maj. Moore Brockenbrough and Maj. John Tuberville found the accusations “utterly without foundation.” A historical marker commemorating the trial is located just outside the church grounds.
The high, open ceilings and windows shed beautiful light on the eclectic interior architecture.
It was during this time that William L. Rogers of New Jersey, a member of the same 36th Regiment, fell in love with both the church and possibly Anne Ballentine Murphy, the daughter of local gentryman John Murphy of Ayrefield. After finishing his service, Rogers returned to Yeocomico Church in 1816, to marry Anne and visit the church that had taken hold of his heart. He was devastated, however, to find the Yeocomico church in ruins. Trees had fallen in through the ceiling and were resting on pews. Wild animals and a multitude of lizards and insects had taken up residence in the crumbling building. Outside, the cemetery headstones were crumbling, including those bearing the names of Washington, Lee, Parker and many other famed “First Virginians.” The cemetery was overrun, and the land was overgrown to the point of near wilderness. Mortified by the desecration, Rogers — who it is important to note was not an Episcopalian, but rather a Presbyterian — enlisted the help of Murphy to rebuild the church. In 1820, Rogers penned a letter to William Meade, the third Episcopal Bishop of Virginia. In it, he said:
The wicket door dates back to 1655 and is the only remaining functioning door of its type in the country.
“In the year 1820, being on a visit to Ayrefield and seeing Old Yeocomico still a ruin, even more deplorable than when I left it, I proposed to Mr. Murphy to undertake its repair. To this, he not only assented, but gave money, labor and his personal service. The gentlemen of the neighborhood subscribed cheerfully and liberally, and the work was pushed forward by employing suitable mechanics and importing from Alexandria lumber, shingles, paints and seven or eight barrels of tar for the roof, which had not a shingle put on it since the year 1788, at which time I heard Mr. Murphy say, the gentlemen of the surrounding estates were assessed to meet the expense.”
Devoted to its renewal and outraged by the sacrilege, Rogers tracked down the historic baptismal font and reunited it with the church, where it would be restored, along with the altar, to its original glory. The restoration took years, but the efforts have withstood the tests of time, resulting in the preservation of a truly historic landmark still currently in use.
The weathered and three century-year-old stone commemorates the two main craftsmen of the 1706 construction of Yeocomico Church.
Today, visitors and parishioners are awed by the wicket door at the entrance, which is original to the 1655 church and the only original functioning door of that style in the nation. Fashioned of a smaller door inside a larger one, it was used to keep in the warmth during the cold of winter and keep out the heavy heat of summer. The outer walls of the church itself are fashioned from brick laid in both Flemish and English bond, with glazed headers, corbels on the gables, and light sconces inside the enclosing front porch. Also surviving is a 1717 sundial, which can be viewed in the parish hall, although a replica has been placed in its original location. There is also a group of mysterious inscriptions on the bricks of the church’s exterior. The inscriptions include a Scottish Thistle — a badge of the House of Stuart — between the initials G, M & S, which have never been explained, as well as a G with the Roman numeral II, and a host of other initials and letters found clustered near the roof and dated 1921.
Church historian and preservation supporter, Steve Walker, stands near a monument where the old brick kiln fired the bricks during the 1706 reconstruction of Yeocomico Church.
Perhaps most intriguing of the mysteries are two bricks, one at each corner of the ancient outer wall, with “Jamestown Colony” clearly inscribed on their faces. Historians, both local and in Jamestown, are at a loss as to how they got there or their meaning. Although many of the grave markers have been refurbished, researchers have found that approximately 100 unnamed souls are buried in the grassy area inside the church’s outer walls, and it is also believed that some of the markers of those buried on the grounds have been lost to time, yet their lives and contributions are still honored by church goers.
Additional renovations to Yeocomico Church were made in the 1820s, 1873, 1928, and 2006, but visitors who enter the church feel an almost instantaneous transformation to an earlier age, when parishioners arrived in their carriages, came in through the wicket door, walked quietly down brick aisles, and listened keenly to their pastor speaking from the raised pulpit. Interestingly, the altar and communion area are offset and on the left-hand side of the pulpit in the cross-shaped building. High ceilings are gloriously open, featuring huge wooden beams, kicked eaves, and a wild mix of Baroque and Gothic features that are truly beautiful to the eye. The natural light that floods in from the large windows reflects off the cool white walls and dove grey painted ceilings, highlighting the marble and wood, as well as the gleaming crosses, offerings and plaques honoring the many notable bishops and reverends who have provided grace within its walls. In 1906, a preservation society was founded to continue to keep up the historic church, and its members have stayed vigil in their dedication.
Blessed with devoted caregivers from its birth to the present day, Yeocomico Church has withstood war, political intrigue, denominational fighting, and the ravages of time and mother nature, only to come out stronger, more dignified, draped in colonial beauty, and honored by parishioners and historians from around the country.
The House & Home Magazine would like to extend its deepest appreciation to historian, Northern Neck of Virginia Society past President, and Yeocomico Church honorary tour guide Steve Walker for his invaluable assistance, as well as the Westmoreland County Museum. For more information on the Yeocomico Church, please visit www.copleparish.com.