Srynol&H iMemnrtal lap list (JUjurrJi

Srynol&H iMemnrtal lap list (JUjurrJi

SPERRYVILLE, VIRGINIA

The name Reynolds Memorial was given the Baptist Church in Sperryville in 1925, in honor of a pastor who had served the church eleven years and who died while pastor of thp church. This pastor was the Reverend W. J. Reynolds. This is the "third name this Baptist organization has had through the years.

. The organization stems from the original Baptist organization in the “Old Hollow”, dating back to 1787. In the decade of 1830-1840, the missionary impulse was making itself stronger among the Baptists and as a result, many churches were divided. The Baptist group at the “Old Hollow” was not an exception, so in 1839 this Baptist group divided into the Missionary and Primitive groups. According to the 1838-1883 minute book of the or ganization, it is recorded when it divided “amicably” in 1838 each group, “Missionary and Primitive”, occupied tne meeting house half of each month. Each claimed the name, the date of origin (1787) and true succession. (This information is from the 1838-1883 record book now with the Virginia Baptist Historical Society, Richmond, Virginia).

In 1852, a new church building was built in the village of Sperryville on a lot given by Lucy Wood. This building is the present Rappahannock Supply Co-op. During the war between the states, this building, so we are told, was used as a hospital. In 1883, the name was changed from Thornton’s Gap Missionary Baptist Church to the Sperryville Baptist Church. In 1925 a new church building was built on a lot offered by O. L. Dodson and Mrs. H. G. Gore. The name was changed to the Reynolds Memorial Baptist Church.

The first missionary pastor was Cumberland George, Sept. 14,1838 to August, 1848; T. W. Lewis, Sept., 1849 to May, 1861. During the war between the states, there was no pastor and no record was kept. S. M. Athey, Feb. 1866 to March, 1873; A. H. Spilman, Aug., 1873 to March, 1875; A. M. Grimsley, June, 18^> to March, 1885; A. J. Fristoe, May, 1885 to March, 1887; Hugli Goodwin, April, 1888 to Jan., 1892; R. Atwell Tucker, Oct., 1892 to Aug., 1896; S. M. Athey, Jan., 1897 to July, 1911; W. j. Reynolds, Dec., 1911, to July, 1921; George F. Cook, Oct., 1921 to April, 1925; P. H. Chelf, June, 1926 to 1945; A Paul Thompson June, 1946.

James W. Bragg was Church Clerk from 1838 to 1894. This is the longest period served by any one person as clerk, with James Atkins next, as present clerk, having served since 1925. Other clerks have been: H. C. Johnson, B. R. Miller, H. B. Miller, H. G. Gore and Mrs. Maude Gore.

The building committee for the church building erected in 1852 was: Marcus Cooper, Philip Rudasill, and James W. Bragg. The builders were Robert and ScottBruce. The building committee for the present church building was: W.E. Seibert, chairman, Dr. C. E. Johnson, treasurer, J. WaltonSVood and O. L. Dodson. It was built by Charles W. Hawkins at the cost of $15,000.

The first person to be baptized in the new church baptistry was Robert Reynolds, son of the minister for whom the church is named. It is generally thought that the wedding of Miss Frances Bruce to Mr. Lawton Blankenbaker in 1927 was the first wedding in the new church. In 1947 a new Minshall-Estey organ was purchased as a memorial to the late Mrs. J. Walton Wood, who had been choir director and organist over a period of fifty years. In 1948 a memorial window was placed in the church as a memorial to these people who had served the church during their life time: Martha Grimsley Wood, Susan Wood Johnson, Thomas and Eliza Gore, John P. Snead, Frances Wood Smith. This window was given by the families of the people for whom the window is a memorial. In 1949, the basement was improved to accommodate the Children’s Department of the Sunday School.

This Baptist organization has entertained the Shiloh Association seven times, the last time being last year.