Singers Glen is an

Census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counterparts of incorporated places, such ...

(CDP) located in

Rockingham County, Virginia Rockingham County is a county located in the U.S. state of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 83,757. Its county seat is the independent city of Harrisonburg. Along with Harrisonburg, Rockingham County forms the Harrisonburg, ...

, and situated between Little North Mountain and

Interstate 81 Interstate 81 (I-81) is a north–south (physically northeast–southwest) Interstate Highway in the eastern part of the United States. Its southern terminus is at I-40 in Dandridge, Tennessee; its northern terminus is on Wellesley Island ...

. Singers Glen is a historic settlement that is registered by both the

Virginia Historic Landmark A Virginia Historic Landmark is a structure, site, or place designated as a landmark by the Virginia Department of Historic Resources. Inclusion process Nominations for the Virginia Landmark Register are simultaneously processed for inclusion on ...

s Commission and the

United States Department of the Interior The United States Department of the Interior (DOI) is one of the executive departments of the U.S. federal government headquartered at the Main Interior Building, located at 1849 C Street NW in Washington, D.C. It is responsible for the mana ...

. The community comprises one road (Singers Glen Road), th
Singers Glen Post Office
a recycling center, the Singers Glen School, the Singers Glen Volunteer Fire Company, Singers Glen volunteer rescue squad, one store, and a Methodist and Baptist Church. It is listed as a CDP for the

United States Census 2020 The United States census of 2020 was the twenty-fourth decennial United States census. Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2020. Other than a pilot study during the 2000 United States census, 2000 census, this was the ...

History

Singers Glen was first settled in 1809 by

Joseph Funk Joseph Funk (1778–1862) was a pioneer American music teacher, publisher, and an early American composer. He invented a shape note system in 1851 for the Harmonia Sacra. Funk was born April 6, 1778 (though his gravestone states March 9, 1777) ...

and other descendants of the German

Anabaptists Anabaptism (from New Latin language, Neo-Latin , from the Greek language, Greek : 're-' and 'baptism', german: Täufer, earlier also )Since the middle of the 20th century, the German-speaking world no longer uses the term (translation: "Re- ...

who had been persecuted during the European

Wars of Religion A religious war or a war of religion, sometimes also known as a holy war ( la, sanctum bellum), is a war which is primarily caused or justified by differences in religion. In the modern period, there are frequent debates over the extent to wh ...

. Funk was a well known music teacher and composer, and thanks largely to him, Singers Glen is sometimes considered the birthplace of

gospel music Gospel music is a traditional genre of Christian music, and a cornerstone of Christian media. The creation, performance, significance, and even the definition of gospel music varies according to culture and social context. Gospel music is com ...

in the American South. The

Joseph Funk House Joseph Funk House is a historic home located at Singers Glen, Rockingham County, Virginia. It was built about 1810, and is a -story, log dwelling with a gable roof and an undercut front gallery. The house is sheathed with weatherboarding. Its b ...

and

Singers Glen Historic District Singers Glen Historic District is a national historic district located at Singers Glen, Rockingham County, Virginia. The district encompasses 65 contributing buildings and 2 contributing sites in the village of Singers Glen. The district retai ...

are listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

Education

Singers Glen School operated from 1882 to 1973.

Emergency services

Singers Glen Volunteer Fire Company
serves and at least 2,500 residents.

Religion

Singers Glen Cemetery overlooks the town from atop a hill. Access is available from Turleytown Road. Singers Glen has more churches than commercial establishments. The churches in the Singers Glen area are Donovan Memorial United Methodist, Morning View Mennonite Church, Singers Glen Baptist Church, and Zion Hill Mennonite Church

Prominent residents and places

has occupied the same location for more than two centuries.
/ref> *

founded the first

Mennonite Mennonites are groups of Anabaptist Christian church communities of denominations. The name is derived from the founder of the movement, Menno Simons (1496–1561) of Friesland. Through his writings about Reformed Christianity during the Radic ...

printing house in the United States here in 1847, best known for printing the

Harmonia Sacra ''Harmonia Sacra'' is a Mennonite shape note hymn and tune book, originally published as ''A Compilation of Genuine Church Music'' in 1832 (Winchester, Virginia) by Joseph Funk (1778–1862). The original publication was a "four-shape" shape note ...

References

{{authority control Mennonitism in Virginia Unincorporated communities in Rockingham County, Virginia Former municipalities in Virginia Populated places established in 1809 1809 establishments in Virginia Unincorporated communities in Virginia