White Post Historic District


  • Address: VA 658 and 628
  • Travel Genus: Sight
  • Sight Category: Historic District

The crossroads village of White Post grew up around the white-painted marker which Thomas, Sixth Lord Fairfax, had erected in the 1760s to point the way to Greenway Court, his nearby estate where he managed his vast proprietary holdings in northern Virginia. The post which gives the town its name has had to be replaced several times but its form has been maintained. Hence, a white post has been a conspicuous landmark for the village for over two centuries and has been the symbol of community identity. The town is historically noted for its association with Bishop William Meade, who was born at White Post and later led the remarkable revival of the Episcopal Church in Virginia that occurred in the decades following the War of 1812. The district itself is a visually cohesive grouping consisting of some twenty-one residences, two churches and parish hall, an old post office, and several abandoned commercial structures - - all situated along two intersecting roads and most representative of the building campaign which took place in Valley towns at the end of the 19th century. The town's most distinguished architectural landmark, Bishop Meade Memorial Church (1875), is an unusually ornate and finely crafted example of rural Gothic Revival named in honor of White Post's most distinguished son. - NRHP, February 1983

Bishop Meade Memorial Church

The single largest structure in White Post, Bishop Meade Memorial Church, was constructed after the Civil War and dedicated in 1875. According to Dr H C Sommerville, writing c 1915, local Episcopalians were joined by other villagers in raising funds to build the church. The tablets inside the church honor Bishop Meade and the Reverend R K Jones, who as rector of the chapel at Millwood was instrumental in raising funds from throughout the state for the memorial. Its parish house was constructed to the northeast of the church building in the late 19th century through the efforts of Captain David Meade, one of Bishop Meade's grandsons, and has served traditionally as a meeting place for the whole town. Bishop Meade's father, Colonel R K Meade, along with a number of other Meade relatives are buried in the churchyard. - NRHP, February 1983


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Timeline

Y/M/D Person Association Description Composition Food Event
Y/M/D Person Association Description Composition Food Event
1875/00/00 Bishop Meade Memorial Church built

Places

PlaceAsNotedInType
PlaceAsNotedInType
Meadea
  • NRHP

Data »

Particulars for White Post Historic District:
Area of Significance Architecture
Criteria Architecture-Engineering
Architectural Style Gothic Revival
Sight Category Historic District
Criteria Person
Historic Use Post Office
Owner Private
Architectural Style Queen Anne
Area of Significance Religion
Historic Use Religious Property
Historic Use Single dwelling



US National Registry of Historic Places Data »

Accurate at time of registration: 29th September 1983

PLACE DETAILS
Registry Name: White Post Historic District
Registry Address: VA 658 and 628
Registry Number: 83003278
Resource Type: District
Owner: Private
Architectural Style: Gothic revival, Queen anne
Area in Acres: 25
Contributing Buildings: 23
Non-Contributing Buildings: 5
Contributing Objects: 1
Certification: Listed in the National Register
CULTURAL DETAILS
Level of Significance: State
Area of Significance: Religion, Architecture
Applicable Criteria: Architecture-Engineering, Person
Period of Significance: 1800-1824, 1825-1849, 1750-1799, 1900-1924, 1875-1899, 1850-1874
Significant Year: 1875
Associated People: Meade,Bishop William
Historic Function: Government, Commerce, Trade, Domestic, Religion
Historic Sub-Function: Post office, Single dwelling, Religious structure
Current Function: Domestic, Religion
Current Sub-Function: Single dwelling Religious structure

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