USCG Training Center Yorktown in York County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)

The Seventeenth-Century Churches of York Parish

March 8, 2025

1. The Seventeenth-Century Churches of York Parish Marker

Inscription. The first York Parish church was built here in the "olde fields" near the early settlement of York on Wormley's Creek. Little is known about this church but it was probably a simple frame building erected about 1640. A second church was built on this site in 1667 which served York Parish for the next 30 years. This building was constructed of brick and had a roof of "planks". toward the end of the Seventeenth Century the settlement at Wormley's Creek had declined in importance and the third York Parish Church (the Present Grace Church) was built at another location in the new village of Yorktown in 1697.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Anthropology & Archaeology • Colonial Era • Religion & Religious Structures • Settlements & Settlers. A significant historical year for this entry is 1667.

Location. 37° 12.953′ N, 76° 28.758′ W. Marker is in Yorktown, Virginia, in York County. It is in USCG Training Center Yorktown. It is on Perimeter Road 0.4 miles east of Nelson Street & Hamilton/Perimeter Road, on the right. The marker is on post at USCG Training Center Yorktown, across from

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the Perimeter Road Baseball Field backstop. This is a secured installation and the general public cannot access this location without a credentialed escort. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Yorktown VA 23690, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is on Virginia’s Peninsula,

in Coastal Virginia,

and in the Hampton Roads Metropolitan Area.

It is also in the American South,

specifically in the Upper South,

in the Tidewater,

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

North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds 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 walking distance of this marker: Archaeological Excavations (here, next to this marker); Major William Gooch Of This Parish (a few steps from this marker); Early Settlement Along Wormley's Creek (within shouting distance of this marker); Yorke Village

Outline of 2nd Parish Church image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Evan Dwyer, March 8, 2025

2. Outline of 2nd Parish Church

A 20th century brick wall outlines the foundation of the Second Parish Church from 1667. William Gooch's tomb is under a glass screen beyond the center tree.

(within shouting distance of this marker); Civil War Trenches (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); Revenue Cutter Surveyor (approx. 0.4 miles away); Moore House (approx. 0.6 miles away); Wear Of Centuries (approx. 0.7 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Yorktown.

Regarding The Seventeenth-Century Churches of York Parish. Bricks outline the foundation of the Second Parish Church next to the marker. The 1655 grave of William Gooch within the foundation area is one of the oldest legible grave markers in the state of Virginia.

Virginia Historic Landmark Sign image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Evan Dwyer, March 8, 2025

3. Virginia Historic Landmark Sign

Gooch Tomb Protective Cover image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Evan Dwyer, March 8, 2025

4. Gooch Tomb Protective Cover

Within the Second Parish Church foundation outline.

Credits. This page was last revised on April 19, 2025. It was originally submitted on April 17, 2025, by Evan Dwyer of Richmond, Virginia. This page has been viewed 164 times since then and 28 times this year. Photos: 1. submitted on April 17, 2025. 2, 3, 4. submitted on April 17, 2025, by Evan Dwyer of Richmond, Virginia. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.