The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1911-01-27
From Virginia Colonial CHI
BY ROSEWEIL PAGE

| by ROSEWEIIl PAGE
| There is record in the county of
! Louisa. Virginia, according to let
/ ter in my possession. Il copy OF q
petition sent by certain taxpayers of
that neWly-formed county to the
[ house OF Burgesses In 1740. praying
to have refunded to them certain to-
| bacco tax that had been levied ON
them to build a large. new and con-
venient church in st. Martins Parish,
Hanover county.
That this church was the Fork
church, or THE Old Fork Church"
as 1t is generally known. is asserted
by two eminent Virginians. who for
merly lived in the respective counties
| of Louisa and hanover,
st. Paurs Parish in Hanover was
divided in 1926. six years after the
| county of Hanover was cut off from
New Kent, and to the parish was given
the name st. Martins, after St Mar
tin in tho Fields. London. For 1t was
In that very year that that London
church was built by gibbs.
The church was no doubt called st.
Martins, but was soon known as
The Fork Church." from its position
the Pamunkey, as the North Anna
and South Anna were called in many
OF the legal documents of that time.
In the last twenty-five years the name
has been applied to the neat little
church at boswell Ave miles away
from the mother church. Two other
churches in the western end of the
parish, Aliens Creek and following
Creek, in the memory of the oldest
1 SN,I, ~ ~ ~fah hax yaa Sad
away. and no trace OF their existence
survives. In the place of these, two
other churches have been built in the
parish, but the Old Fork church sur
wives as IL noble monument TO the
Colonial Churchmen.
Built of the glazed end brick sc
familiar in colonial buildings. its
birthday is fixed at 173h, two years
after that of the courthouse some
| twelve miles to the east, which shell
! tered the throng assembled there in
! 1853 to hear Patrick Henry in the
Parsons Cause" 1t Is matter OF
great satisfaction to all lovers of the
1 history of the community to know
L that both of these noble buildings
are in an excellent state OF preser-
walton. Tradition says that these
buildings were built Of brick brought
from England. as 1t says of many
other of our colonial buildings: but
thankless as the task is to destroy
such tradition. am compelled tc
state that neither these. nor the brick
for any other of our churches, were
brought from England. am confirm
cd In this statement by tho answer
of the learned DR., Philip Slaughter
to- whom some years age / Propound-
ed the question.
: The Fork church is solid struc-
ture. whose length, rs feet, is about
three times Its breadth. with a door
; at the southern end, and another OF
the side, near the northeastern corner
| Over each door there Is a portico or
brick columns, whose proportion and
, entasis are the admiration of lovers
of architecture.
: Although the records of Hanover
county ana OF 81. Martins Parish
: have been lost or destroyed. the his
tory of the old church Is safe in the
tradition and life of the people
In" 1886 the Rev. DR., Philip Siaugh-
ter published In the Southern Church
man an account of his recovery of
what he called "The Rectory Book
of St Pauls Parish. without which,
he says even Bishop Meade had been
unable to give full history of that
parish. Among the names he men
toned as figuring in the yestries in
st. Pauls Parish, which as we have
seen embraced st. Martins. Trinity
and Fredericksville Parishes until
1926, were the Crawfords. Mereweth-
ers, Winstona Henrys Grymeses,
Bfckertons. Jones. Andersons, Ry
lands, Garlands Merediths. Pages,
Pendletons, Undertakes. Lipscombs.
Goodalls Abbotts, Macons. Skeletons.
Pierces, Taylors, Darracotts Chap
mans. Streets. Crosses and Pollards.
An entry OF some interest Is the
following: September. 1908. Mr.,
Thomas Sharpe having offered to be
our minister. 1t Ia agreed that he
preach in both churches till the last
| day of December come twelve months.
and IL at the end of that time ne
likes us and we like him, to continue.
Otherwise each party to provide for
themselves" 1t Is q satisfaction to
know that preacher and people liked
each other, for he continued to be
hired" from year to year until 1870,
when st. Martins was cut off, as we
have seen.
The Fork church is rich in historic
associations. Hither came Patrick
Henry in his early infancy. and In
later life, while living at Scotch
Town." the interesting old hipped
rooted structure some Ave miles away.
through whose wide hall, in spite Of
the stone steps, Tarleton and his raid
ers rode. For Patrick Henry. with
all Of his zeal and enthusiasm for
the liberty Of his country, and with
all of his feeling in behalf of the
people which burst forth In their de-
Tense against the Parsons when they
demanded more than was thought
their due. always revered the Epis-
copal church in which he was bap-
| tIzad and I'm which his father John
Henry. had been vestryman. and his
uncle. the Rev. Patrick Henry. for
whom he was named, was a parish
minister for forty years. To the Fork
church from Scotch Town" came
1 Henry's cousin. Dorothea. better
known as Dolly. little dreaming, per-
| haps. as she sat in the high backed
4 pew over which she could hardly see
when standing on tipt0e on q cushion,
That she Wa ans or - p tha EiSa