I was looking at my old church's history, and I didnt realize that a lot of churches in the South have such rich histories... Here's ours...
The Chickahominy Parish was an early parish in James City County and represented several burgesses in the Grand Assembly of 1639. The parish had its name changed to Wallingford in 1646 and its area increased to include all of James City County west of the Chickahominy River.
The Anglican Church of Wilmington Parish seems to have been predecessor, on the same site, of the Chickahominy Baptist Church, which was two miles south of Toano. Chickahominy Church was built in about 1750, as the new Upper Church of James City Parish. The church was used ocassionaly as an Episcopal church. In the latter part of 1781, it was burned down by the enemy in the war at Green Spring during the Revolutionary War.
Its ruins remained standing for a dozen years afterwards. A historical highway marker at the corner of Richmond Road and Chickahominy Road states "Chickahominy Church was used as a hospital during the Revolutionary War. Lafayette's forces camped there, July 6 - 8, 1781."
In 1865 more than two years after the Emancipation Proclamation where over 4,000,000 slaves achieved freedom, the present church was rebuilt on the same foundation by the Blacks. It was named "Chickahominy Baptist Church." Organized by Blacks, the church has been in continuous use since 1865.
Since that time the church has made tremendous progress. The church has been completely remodeled several times, inside, and out, including bricking the bulding.