Loretto in Essex County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)

Vauter's Church

Photographed by Beverly Pfingsten, April 18, 2008

1. Vauter's Church Marker

Inscription. This was the principal church of St. Anne's Parish, which was formed in 1704 from Sittenburne Parish and encompassed Essex County. According to tradition, part of the present church was built about 1719 with an addition constructed in 1731, but architectural evidence suggests that the church was built as a unit in 1731. After the American Revolution and the disestablishment of the Church of England, Vauter's Church passed out of service. In 1822 regular services resumed for the first time since 1776. The church was remodeled in 1827, when the box pews were reduced in height and the present two-deck pulpit replace the colonial one of three decks.

Erected 1993 by Department of Historic Resources. (Marker Number N-23.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Colonial Era • Religion & Religious Structures • War, US Revolutionary. In addition, it is included in the Virginia Department of Historic Resources (DHR) series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1704.

Location. 38° 5.205′ N, 77° 4.127′ W. Marker is in Loretto, Virginia, in Essex County. It is on US 17 north of Spindle Shop Road, on the right when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Loretto VA 22509, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is on Virginia’s Middle Peninsula.

It is also in the American South,

specifically in the Upper South,

in the Tidewater,

and in the Chesapeake Bay Region.

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.

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At least 8 other markers are within 4 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Portobacco Indians (approx. 1.1 miles away); Saunders’s Wharf (approx. 1.8 miles away); Layton’s Landing Wharf and Ferry (approx. 3½ miles away); Early Settlement (approx. 3½ miles away); Essex County / Caroline County (approx. 3.6 miles away); Pissaseck Indians (approx. 3.8 miles away); Leedstown (approx. 3.9 miles away); John Pratt Hungerford (approx. 3.9 miles away).

Also see . . . On the Road in Essex County - N-23 Vauter’s Church. 2019 article by Zorine Shirley in the River Country News. Excerpt:

The “T” or “cruciform” shape of the building makes it rather unusual for the time. The brick pattern is known as Flemish bond. Each course or layer of brick contains alternating ‘stretchers’ (the long end of the brick) and ‘headers’ (the short end of the brick). Flemish bond became the pattern of choice for masonry in the early 1700’s replacing the English bond of the 1600’s.

(Submitted on September 17, 2020.)

Vauter's Church image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Beverly Pfingsten, April 18, 2008

2. Vauter's Church

Photographed by Beverly Pfingsten, April 18, 2008

3. Vauter's Church

Church Plaque image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Beverly Pfingsten, April 18, 2008

4. Church Plaque

Credits. This page was last revised on November 2, 2024. It was originally submitted on April 27, 2008, by Bill Pfingsten of Bel Air, Maryland. This page has been viewed 3,510 times since then and 74 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on April 27, 2008, by Bill Pfingsten of Bel Air, Maryland.