Back to the Start

Back to the Start. . In 1834, an organization known as the Reforming Congregation of Disciples built a church between the old Spotsylvania Courthouse and the Block House., The group was part of the broader Restoration Movement, which emphasized a return to first-century Christian doctrine., The building that housed the new church, named Berea Christian Church after an ancient Macedonian city where the Apostle Paul spoke, was destroyed by fire in 1855., The following year, planter and merchant Samuel Alsop Jr. offered this site adjacent to his family burying ground. At 81, he supervised the construction of the new Virginia Gothic Revival building, which was completed in 1856., Church trustees donated the building to Spotsylvania County in 1961. From 1964 to 2012, it was home to the Spotsylvania Museum, which during that time was operated by the Spotsylvania Historical Association., (Photo Captions), After the first Berea Christian Church burned down in 1855, Samuel Alsop Jr. donated land for and supervised the construction of a new building. Here, the site is seen in 1900., The Revs. Thomas and Alexander Campbell, father-and-son Restoration Movement leaders, often visited Spotsylvania to preach and meet with members of Berea Christian., A boy looks at a diorama at the Spotsylvania County Museum in the 1970s. In 1964, the Berea Christian Church building became the first home of the county museum.