The Tinkling Spring Presbyterian Church, is a

Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism that broke from the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland by John Knox, who was a priest at St. Giles Cathedral (Church of Scotland). Presbyterian churches derive their nam ...

church founded in 1740, and is the oldest Presbyterian congregation in the Valley of Virginia (the Shenandoah Valley). Its historic building is 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 ...

(NRHP). The church's first building was a log structure built during 1742–1748. Much of the cost of the original meeting house was underwritten by Colonel James Patton.Greg Humphries, "Augusta Colonial Founders #1: James Patton," ''The Christian History Society of America''
/ref> It took nearly three years to finish, with some controversy between Patton and his uncle

John Lewis John Robert Lewis (February 21, 1940 – July 17, 2020) was an American politician and civil rights activist who served in the United States House of Representatives for from 1987 until his death in 2020. He participated in the 1960 Nashville ...

over where it was to be located. The first service was held there on 14 April 1745, when the Reverend John Craig wrote: "This being the first day we meet at the contentious meeting-house, about half-built." The log structure was replaced by a stone building in 1790. Its 1850

Greek Revival The Greek Revival was an architectural movement which began in the middle of the 18th century but which particularly flourished in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, predominantly in northern Europe and the United States and Canada, but a ...

building is its third building, and is significant architecturally for being designed by

Robert Lewis Dabney Robert Lewis Dabney (March 5, 1820 – January 3, 1898) was an American Christian theologian, Southern Presbyterian pastor, Confederate States Army chaplain, and architect. He was also chief of staff and biographer to Stonewall Jackson. His b ...

who served as pastor there from 1852–1857. an
accompanying photo
This Greek Revival building, along with two other churches designed by Dabney, is credited with influencing ecclesiastical architecture in Virginia. Dabney designed at least two other NRHP-listed churches, Briery Church, in Briery, Virginia, and New Providence Presbyterian Church, near Brownsburg, Virginia. The building was listed on the

in 1973.

References

External links

Tinkling Springs Church, State Route 608, Fishersville, Augusta County, VA
5 measured drawings at

Historic American Buildings Survey Heritage Documentation Programs (HDP) is a division of the U.S. National Park Service (NPS) responsible for administering the Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS), Historic American Engineering Record (HAER), and Historic American Landscapes ...

Churches on the National Register of Historic Places in Virginia Greek Revival church buildings in Virginia Churches completed in 1850 Buildings and structures in Augusta County, Virginia Historic American Buildings Survey in Virginia National Register of Historic Places in Augusta County, Virginia 1850 establishments in Virginia {{AugustaCountyVA-NRHP-stub