Near Freeman in Greensville County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)

Mabry's Chapel

Photographed By Sandra Hughes, August 8, 2010

1. Mabry's Chapel Marker

Inscription. Eight miles northeast stood Mabry's Chapel, the fourth Methodist house of worship built in Virginia. It was constructed in 1780, five years after the congregation first met at John Mabry's dwelling. By 1804, a new larger church was built; it included a balcony for black worshipers. Bishop Francis Asbury, Thomas Rankin, and Devereux Jarratt preached here in 1775. Two sessions of the Virginia Annual conference, the 11th in Nov. 1794 and the 13th in Nov. 1796, met at Mabry's Chapel with Asbury presiding. The congregation relocated to a church on Allen's Road in 1847.

Erected 1999 by Department of Historic Resources. (Marker Number UM-52.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Churches & Religion. In addition, it is included in the Francis Asbury, Traveling Methodist Preacher, and the Virginia Department of Historic Resources (DHR) series lists. A significant historical month for this entry is October 1794.

Location. 36° 45.341′ N, 77° 39.233′ W. Marker is near Freeman, Virginia, in Greensville County. Marker is on Pleasant Shade Drive (U.S. 58) half a mile west of Grassy Pond Road (Virginia Route 606), on the right when traveling east. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 497 Westward Rd, Emporia VA 23847, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within

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8 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Brunswick County / Greensville County (approx. 0.2 miles away); Meherrin Indians (approx. 0.2 miles away); Brunswick County, Virginia (approx. 0.2 miles away); Mecklenburg Electric Cooperative (approx. 4.9 miles away); Double Bridges (approx. 5.9 miles away); Smoky Ordinary (approx. 6.9 miles away); a different marker also named Smoky Ordinary (approx. 6.9 miles away); Greensville County Training School (approx. 7.6 miles away).

Also see . . .
1. Sir Francis Asbury. Bishop Francis Asbury (August 20, 1745 – March 31, 1816) was one of the first two bishops of the Methodist Episcopal Church, now The United Methodist Church in the United States. He was the namesake of Indiana Asbury University, now DePauw University. (Submitted on October 17, 2011, by Sandra Hughes Tidwell of Killen, Alabama, USA.)

2. Devereux Jarratt (1733-1801). The awakening also featured mixed-race assemblies. One Methodist itinerant, Thomas Rankin, recorded that at one meeting, "hundreds fell to the ground, and the house seemed to shake with the presence of God. (Submitted on October 17, 2011, by Sandra Hughes Tidwell of Killen, Alabama, USA.)

Mabry's Chapel Marker, looking east along US 58 image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Mike Stroud, October 20, 2012

2. Mabry's Chapel Marker, looking east along US 58

Photographed By Mike Stroud, October 20, 2012

3. Mabry's Chapel Marker

Credits. This page was last revised on July 7, 2021. It was originally submitted on October 15, 2011, by Sandra Hughes Tidwell of Killen, Alabama, USA. This page has been viewed 1,078 times since then and 50 times this year. Last updated on July 24, 2015, by J. Makali Bruton of Accra, Ghana. Photos: 1. submitted on October 15, 2011, by Sandra Hughes Tidwell of Killen, Alabama, USA. 2, 3. submitted on October 21, 2012, by Mike Stroud of Bluffton, South Carolina. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.