Capon Chapel
Capon Chapel | |
Location | Christian Church Road (West Virginia Secondary Route 13) Capon Bridge, West Virginia, United States |
---|---|
Coordinates | 39°16′12″N 78°26′39″W / 39.27000°N 78.44417°W |
Area | 0.96 acres (0.39 ha) |
Built | c. 1852 |
Architectural style | Front gable |
NRHP reference No. | 12001048[1] |
Designated | December 12, 2012[1] |
Capon Chapel ( /ˈkeɪpən/ KAY-pən), also historically known as Capon Baptist Chapel and Capon Chapel Church, is a mid-19th century United Methodist church located near to the town of Capon Bridge, West Virginia, in the United States. Capon Chapel is one of the oldest existing log churches in Hampshire County, along with Mount Bethel Church and Old Pine Church.
A Baptist congregation was gathering at the site of the present-day church by at least 1756. Primitive Baptist minister John Monroe (1750–1824) is credited for establishing a place of worship at this site; he is interred in the church's cemetery. The land on which Capon Chapel was built originally belonged to William C. Nixon (1789–1869), a member of the Virginia House of Delegates; later, it was transferred to the Pugh family. The first documented mention of a church at the Capon Chapel site was in March 1852, when Joseph Pugh allocated the land to three trustees for the construction of a church and cemetery.
During the early years of Capon Chapel, no
Capon Chapel's cemetery is surrounded by a
Geography and setting
Capon Chapel and its associated cemetery are located to the east Christian Church Road (West Virginia Secondary Route 13), approximately 2.01 miles (3.23 km) south of
The church and cemetery are accessible through a gravel driveway to the north; to the west, a cluster of tall oak trees blocks access to the road. Capon Chapel is landscaped with boxwoods on its north and south sides, a single holly on its east side, and forsythias along its west side. The Capon Chapel property consists of the church structure (c. 1852), and its associated cemetery, which is enclosed partly by the historic wrought iron fence and partly by a chain link fence. A flagpole stands at the center of the cemetery's eastern perimeter.[8]
History
Background
The land upon which Capon Chapel is located was originally part of the
Under Lord Fairfax's ownership, the Cacapon River Valley was predominantly inhabited by English-speaking settlers as early as the late 1730s.[18][19] The majority of these settlers had come from Pennsylvania and New Jersey, many of whom were either Quakers or former Quakers who were attracted to the Baptist and Methodist denominations.[18]
Baptist affiliation
The
Increased settlement and the arrival of other religious denominations in the Cacapon River Valley were further facilitated following the completion of the Northwestern Turnpike in the 1830s, which connected Parkersburg with Winchester. A small community began to develop near the turnpike's Cacapon River crossing, 2.01 miles (3.23 km) north of Capon Chapel's present-day location. The community later became the town of Capon Bridge.[26]
The land on which Capon Chapel was built belonged to William C. Nixon (1789–1869), a member of the Virginia House of Delegates.[27] Nixon's mother-in-law, Elizabeth Caudy (1773–1816), was the first person to be buried in the church's cemetery.[27] While various sources estimate that Capon Chapel was built around the 1750s, there is no physical or documentary evidence to support this claim.[26] The first documented mention of a church at the Capon Chapel site was in March 1852, when Joseph Pugh allocated 88 and one-half poles, or approximately 0.55 acres (2,200 m2), to three trustees: David Pugh, another David Pugh, and Robert Pugh.[26] The Pugh family, which was of Welsh descent, were early settlers in the Cacapon River Valley, and were one of the families that came from Wales through Pennsylvania in the late 17th century.[26] The grant's deed told the trustees to conceive "a Graveyard and for a house for the Public Worship of Almighty God for the use of all orthodox Christians", and specified that the land was only to be used for religious worship and "for no other purpose".[26] The deed further stipulated that inheritors of the land had to be Pugh's descendants.[26]
During the church's early years, no Protestant denomination was the exclusive owner or occupant of Capon Chapel, which indicates that the church was probably utilized as a "union church" for worship by any Christian denomination.[26] Since no single denomination oversaw the church during this early period, few records of its early activities and construction exist.[26] Later records suggest that Capon Chapel was used as a place of worship by Baptists until the late 19th or early 20th century.[26] While it remains unclear why or how the church became associated with the Baptists, its use by the denomination is possibly associated with the Second Great Awakening, a Protestant revival movement during the early-to-mid 19th century that gained momentum throughout the United States.[20] According to the December 1904 issue of The Baptist Home Mission Monthly, the Baptist Little Cacapon Church contributed one dollar to the general fund of Capon Chapel, demonstrating that the Baptist community still continued to operate from or associate with the church in 1904.[26][28]
Methodist affiliation
In addition to the Baptist faith, Methodists started coming to the Cacapon River Valley during the latter half of the 18th century.
Capon Chapel remains a Methodist church, now a part of the United Methodist Church.[20][31] As of 2015, Capon Chapel's congregation numbers five.[31] The church's Methodist circuit pastor is M. Christopher Duckworth; and it offers services four Sundays a month.[31] A small group of committed congregants maintain the historic church and cemetery grounds.[20] Brenda Hiett is the church's caretaker, as of 2015.[8] Throughout its existence, Capon Chapel has been known by various names, including "Capon Baptist Chapel" and "Capon Chapel Church".[5]
Preservation
According to the church's caretaker, Brenda Hiett, the church's roof and siding were installed around 1900.
In 2008, following surveys of historic properties throughout the county, the Hampshire County Historic Landmarks Commission and the Hampshire County Commission embarked upon an initiative to place structures and districts on the
Architecture
Capon Chapel is a single-story, rectangular,
Exterior
The church's main façade is located on its east side, facing toward Timber Ridge, and away from the Cacapon River and Christian Church Road. The east side consists of a front gable façade of white-painted clapboard siding. The church has one entryway, which is a centrally-located, four-paneled wooden door, topped by wooden
The west elevation is covered with white-painted clapboarding and is undecorated, with the exception of an off-center concrete block chimney and a single drop pendant similar to the one located at the top of the gable.[8] The concrete block perimeter foundation is visible on the south side of the church, as is the metal embankment doors that allow access to the church's basement.[32]
The church's north and south sides consist of two symmetrically placed six-over-six double-hung sash wooden windows, along with operable green-painted louvered wooden window shutters. The clapboard sidings vary between 3 and 6 inches (7.6 and 15.2 cm) in width. At the base of the church's north side, concrete blocks are visible under the foundation. On the church's south side, a small strip of the roof's eave confirms the original location of the chimney.[8]
Interior
The interior of the church consists of a large, open floor plan, with wooden pews lined perpendicular to the north and south sides, thus creating a central aisle. The altar is a small wooden pulpit, which serves as a lectern that is accessible by a small wooden step; the altar is accented by a large wooden backdrop of casing with dentil molding. Each of the church's interior walls is covered with pine wainscot panelling and wallpaper, and topped with wooden crown molding. Wooden swag moldings accentuate the four symmetrically-placed six-over-six double-hung sash wooden windows, the doorway's wooden casing, and the transom window. The wooden pews are simple, with cushions added for comfortable seating. The original ceiling is obscured by a dropped ceiling, which also conceals the electrical conduits for the church's brass chandeliers. Prior to the church's electrification, kerosene lanterns were used for light, and the lanterns remain in the church for decorative purposes. The church's floor consists of the original heart pine planks. Concrete blocks and cut stone border the building's perimeter to prevent animals from entering the church's crawl space. Within the crawl space, log carrier beams support the building, on which the bark remains extant.[32]
Cemetery
The cemetery is less than an acre in size and is located to the immediate east of the church, surrounded by a wrought iron fence manufactured by Stewart Iron Works.
Older
The cemetery perimeter is lined on three sides by a cast wrought iron fence, accessible by a gate 3 feet (0.91 m) in width at its western entryway.[32] The wrought iron fence is 4 feet (1.2 m) in height, and has approximately 1-inch (2.5 cm) diameter tubular fence posts, which are supported by three horizontal metal rails.[32] The fence posts are capped with white-painted stylized arrows, with a ball at the tip.[32] A shield with the emblem reading, "The Stewart Iron Works, Cincinnati, Ohio", is emblazoned on the fence's gate.[32] The cemetery's eastern extension is surrounded by chain-link fencing.[37]
See also
- List of historic sites in Hampshire County, West Virginia
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Hampshire County, West Virginia
References
- ^ a b c "National Register of Historic Places Listings". Weekly List of Actions Taken on Properties: 12/10/12 through 12/14/12. National Park Service. December 21, 2012. Archived from the original on October 5, 2015. Retrieved October 5, 2015.
- ^ OCLC 34722183.
- ^ Geographic Names Information System; United States Geological Survey. "Geographic Names Information System: Feature Detail Report for Capon Bridge (Feature ID: 1537027)".
- ^ Geographic Names Information System; United States Geological Survey. "Geographic Names Information System: Feature Detail Report for Bubbling Spring (Feature ID: 1554012)".
- ^ a b Geographic Names Information System; United States Geological Survey. "Geographic Names Information System: Feature Detail Report for Capon Chapel (Feature ID: 1537028)".
- ^ Geographic Names Information System; United States Geological Survey. "Geographic Names Information System: Feature Detail Report for Capon Chapel Cemetery (Feature ID: 1718613)".
- ^ Scaffidi 2012, p. 4.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Scaffidi 2012, p. 5.
- ^ a b c Munske & Kerns 2004, p. 9.
- ^ Coleman 1951, p. 246.
- ^ Rose 1976, p. 25.
- ^ William and Mary Quarterly 1898, p. 222.
- ^ William and Mary Quarterly 1898, pp. 222–3.
- ^ Brannon 1976, p. 286.
- ^ William and Mary Quarterly 1898, p. 224.
- ^ William and Mary Quarterly 1898, pp. 224–6.
- ^ Rice 2015, p. 23.
- ^ a b Munske & Kerns 2004, p. 2.
- ^ a b c d Munske & Kerns 2004, p. 101.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Scaffidi 2012, p. 9.
- ^ Maxwell & Swisher 1897, p. 377.
- ^ Maxwell & Swisher 1897, p. 376.
- ^ Munske & Kerns 2004, p. 60.
- ^ a b c d Brannon 1976, p. 124.
- ^ "Minutes from the West Virginia Archives and History Commission Spring Meeting". West Virginia Archives and History, West Virginia Division of Culture and History. Archived from the original on October 5, 2015. Retrieved October 5, 2015.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Scaffidi 2012, p. 8.
- ^ a b c Munske & Kerns 2004, p. 46.
- ^ Grose 1904
- ^ a b Wirtz 1990, p. 61.
- ^ a b Maxwell & Swisher 1897, p. 380.
- ^ a b c "Find-A-Church: Capon Chapel United Methodist Church". United Methodist Church website. United Methodist Church. Archived from the original on October 5, 2015. Retrieved October 5, 2015.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Scaffidi 2012, p. 6.
- ^ a b c d e Pisciotta, Marla (May 11, 2011). "Preserving Our History". Hampshire Review. Romney, West Virginia. p. 1B.
- ^ a b Scaffidi 2012, p. 10.
- ^ a b "Capon Chapel Cemetery, Capon Bridge, WV". HistoricHampshire.org. HistoricHampshire.org, Charles C. Hall. Archived from the original on October 5, 2015. Retrieved October 5, 2015.
- ^ Munske & Kerns 2004, p. 166.
- ^ Scaffidi 2012, p. 7.
Bibliography
- Brannon, Selden W., ed. (1976). Historic Hampshire: A Symposium of Hampshire County and Its People, Past and Present. OCLC 3121468.
- Coleman, Roy V. (1951). Liberty and Property. New York City: OCLC 1020487 – via Internet Archive.
- Grose, Howard, ed. (December 1904). The Baptist Home Mission Monthly. OCLC 1776385.
- OL 23304577M.
- Munske, Roberta R.; Kerns, Wilmer L., eds. (2004). Hampshire County, West Virginia, 1754–2004. OCLC 55983178.
- .
- Rose, Cornelia Bruère (1976). Arlington County, Virginia: A History. .
- Scaffidi, Sandra (May 18, 2012). National Register of Historic Places Registration Form: Capon Chapel (PDF). United States Department of the Interior, National Park Service. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 5, 2015. Retrieved October 5, 2015.
- OCLC 1607858.
- OCLC 20634834.
External links
- Media related to Capon Chapel (Capon Bridge, West Virginia) at Wikimedia Commons