USCG Training Center Yorktown in York County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)
Archaeological Excavations
Photographed by Evan Dwyer, March 8, 2025
1. The Wall Marker
Inscription.
Archaeological excavations at this site uncovered information about the Second York Parish Church that was built in 1667. This building had a rectangular plan typical of many Mid-Seventeenth Century churches in Virginia with a long axis extending east to west for 56 feet and a short axis north to south for 46 feet. Although this site was abandoned by 1700 as the location for the Parish Church, it continued to be used as a burial ground for the next two centuries. The wall marks the location of the original brick foundation wall for the Second Parish Church. Archaeological research has revealed that the original church wall was 1.7 feet wide. A 13.5 foot section of the west wall, part of which is shown in the photograph below is all that has survived nearly three centuries of brick robbing.
Archaeological excavations at this site uncovered information about the Second York Parish Church that was built in 1667. This building had a rectangular plan typical of many Mid-Seventeenth Century churches in Virginia with a long axis extending east to west for 56 feet and a short axis north to south for 46 feet. Although this site was abandoned by 1700 as the location for the Parish Church, it continued to be used as a burial ground for the next two centuries.
The wall marks the location of the original brick foundation wall for the Second Parish Church. Archaeological research has revealed that the original church wall was 1.7 feet wide. A 13.5 foot section of the west wall, part of which is shown in the photograph below is all that has survived nearly three centuries of brick robbing.
Location. 37° 12.951′ N, 76° 28.757′ W. Marker is in Yorktown, Virginia, in York County. It is in USCG Training Center Yorktown. It
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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 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 Virginias 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.
More about this marker. The marker does not have a proper title.
Regarding Archaeological Excavations. The Second York Parish Church referenced in the marker was erected in 1667, replacing its predecessor on the same spot. The 1655 grave of William Gooch within the foundation area is one of the oldest legible grave markers in the state of Virginia; he was originally within the first church's walls prior to the second church being built. There are two other gravestones in the immediate vicinity, the rest are unmarked.
Photographed by Evan Dwyer, March 8, 2025
3. Virginia Historic Landmark Sign
The archaeological site, combined with the William Gooch Tomb, is a Virginia Historic Landmark.
Credits. This page was last revised on July 25, 2025. It was originally submitted on April 17, 2025, by Evan Dwyer of Richmond, Virginia. This page has been viewed 206 times since then and 24 times this year. Photos:1, 2, 3. submitted on April 17, 2025, by Evan Dwyer of Richmond, Virginia. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.
