The early history of many colonial parishes is shrouded in obscurity due to the
loss of early parish records. This is not so in Middlesex County where the
historical vestry book for Christ Church has been preserved and published.
It is believed that this vestry book is the only one in existence that antedates
Bacon’s Rebellion in 1676.
Authentic dates and records give credence to the assumption that worship
began at the site of Lower Church in 1650 when a wooden “chapel of ease”
was built in the lower precinct of Christ Church parish.
About 1657, what is now the County of Middlesex was composed of two
parishes, the upper called Lancaster and the lower known as Peankatank.
The first mention of “Peankatank” as Lower Chapel was in the records by
1666, and for the next quarter of a century the two names were used
interchangeably; thus the origin of the name “Lower”.
The present brick church was the second structure to be built on this site. It
was completed in 1717 at a cost of 90,000 pounds of sweet-scented tobacco.
Captain Henry Armistead and Major Edmond Berkeley were ordered to build
the church. The oversized bricks, which were kilned on the property, weigh
about 8 pounds each and are laid in the English bond pattern. Their large
size makes the walls about 27” thick. A brick to the left of the entrance has
the inscription “17A15”. It is believed that the “A” stands for Armistead and
that the walls were complete to that date. To the right of the entrance are
the initials “IW” which may stand for James Walker, an overseer for the
project.
Lower Church still maintains its original clipped-hipped roof line. It is one of
only two colonial churches in Virginia to have this distinction.
According to documentation the vestrymen experimented with two new
plans for the new lower church; abandoning the old seventeenth-century
arrangement in favor of a form that characterized all future Virginia
rectangular churches.
The first worship service was held in the new church on October 25, 1717 and
was conducted by the Reverend Bartholomew Yates.
In 1733 a 4 ½ foot high brick wall was ordered to be built around the church
yard. Part of this was unearthed in 1964 during the construction of the
second annex. In 1750 a gallery was added to the west end of the interior of
the sanctuary.
The Church of England fell into disfavor after the Revolutionary War
and many colonial churches fell into ruin or were vandalized. Lower Church
was spared this desecration. At some point the Baptists and Methodists
began to use the church for their worship services.
Lower Church became the property of the Methodist Episcopal
Church South as the result of a suit begun in 1857 by the Protestant Episcopal
Church against the Methodists and Robert Healy. Mr. Healy, a member of
Christ Church and a trustee for Lower Church, refused to hand over the key.
The ruling in March 1860 allowed the Methodists to purchase the Church for
$300.00 plus $200.00 for repairs. Mr. Healy gave $2.00 for every $1.00 raised
by the Methodists.
Many changes have occurred through the years. The interior began
to take on a “Victorian” appearance in 1912 when the large east window was
removed and replaced with a “Gothic” arch. The pulpit area was also
extended outward.
Over time three annexes were added; the first in 1947, the second in
1965 and the third in 2005.
In 1970 major restoration and renovation was done giving the building its
present appearance.
The church complex and acreage are listed on the Virginia Historic
Landmarks Register (October 1972) and The National Register of Historic
Places (April 1973).
Lower Church is one of a very few surviving colonial churches.