Poplar Spring Church

Photographed by Laura Troy

1. Previous Version of the Poplar Spring Church Marker

Inscription. This is the site of Poplar Spring Church of Petsworth Parish. In 1694, Old Petsworth Church was abandoned in favor of this church. It was considered the finest church of colonial Virginia. In 1676, the followers of Bacon, the Rebel, interred here a casket supposed to contain his remains, but in reality filled with stones. The body was buried secretly.

Erected 1930 by Conservation & Development Commission. (Marker Number N-61.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Cemeteries & Burial Sites • Colonial Era • Religion & Religious Structures. In addition, it is included in the Virginia Department of Historic Resources (DHR) series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1694.

Location. This marker has been replaced by another marker nearby. It was located near 37° 27.832′ N, 76° 36.276′ W. Marker was in Gloucester, Virginia, in Gloucester County. It was on George Washington Memorial Highway (U.S. 17) south of Chesapeake Road, on the right when traveling south. Touch for map. Marker was at or near this postal address: 10744 George Washington Memorial Hwy, Gloucester

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VA 23061, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker was on the Middle Peninsula

and in the Hampton Roads Metropolitan Area.

It was also in the American South,

specifically in the Upper South,

in the Tidewater,

in the Chesapeake Bay Region,

and on the Eastern Seaboard. Globally, it was in the North Atlantic Region,

North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it found itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the original Thirteen Colonies,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 4 miles of this location, measured as the crow flies: A different marker also named Poplar Spring Church (here, next to this marker); Marlfield (approx. 0.9 miles away); Gloucester Hall (approx. 1.7 miles away); Gravesite of John Lewis (approx. 3.3 miles away); The Indentured Servants' Plot (approx. 3.6 miles away); King and Queen County / Gloucester County (approx. 3.6 miles away); Poropotank Creek (approx. 3.6 miles away); Bethel Baptist Church (approx.

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3.7 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Gloucester.

More about this marker. This marker was replaced by a new one named also named Poplar Spring Church (see nearby markers).

Regarding Poplar Spring Church. The Bacon referred to on the previous version of this marker was Nathaniel Bacon (1647–1676), leader of Bacon’s Rebellion.

Credits. This page was last revised on August 28, 2026. It was originally submitted on April 9, 2018, by Laura Troy of Burke, Virginia. This page has been viewed 826 times since then and 54 times this year. Photo 1. submitted on October 14, 2007, by Laura Troy of Burke, Virginia. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.