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As you travel south from US 211 and Route 522, you can see a beautiful country church high on the hill overlooking Sperryville.
This is the Hopewell Baptist Church which was organized in 1873. Before the church was built the members worshiped at the Reynolds Baptist Church with Rev. John Gaines as the first pastor. The Hopewell Baptist Church has not always been in the present location.
Approximately three quarters of an acre of land on the present Route 600 and Bryan Road leading from Sperryville, Thornton Gap Turnpike to the Thornton Gap Regular Baptist Church, was given to them by John C. Miller. This is where their first church w-as erected. The first church partially burned and was tom down.
This church was originally contained in the Northern Virginia Association, but in 1888 when the Wayland Blue Ridge Association was organized, they changed and joined the new association.
Two of the members, Lewis Morton and Charles C. Lewis Sr. walked to Culpeper to attend the first meeting. They left early to reach Culpeper in time for the opening session at 11 a.m. and returned home when the meeting adjourned.
The material that could be salvaged from the partially burned church was saved.
A second church was decided to be built on the same foundation in 1917 by the members and Rev. John T. Williams.
The church was built by Herbert Bruce at a cost of $2,200. The comer stone was laid in 1922 by the Odd Fellows of Washington.
This church was also rented by the Piedmont School Board for $25 a year for at least two years, and classes were held in the church.
As the congregation grew, parking and other facilities were inadequate, so in 1960 a lot was purchased from Miss Louise O’Bannon of Sperryville. A third and the present church was started in 1961, with the Rev. L.M. Carrol as pastor.
The old Masonic Lodge property in Sperryville was to be sold, and the members of the congregation bought the building for $400. They tore it down using the material in their new church. Some of the hand-hewn beams were six by eights and 28 feet long and perfectly sound.
Mr. Robert Fields of Culpeper, built the outside structure. The officers and members kept on working. The late Deacon William Aylor, Trustees Jake Fincham, Lewis (Russ) Aylor, Russell Carter, Gaylord Butler and the Deacons Charles C. Lewis Jr. and C.C. Lewis designed and built the circle pulpit and choir stand.
Rev. L.M. Carrol died in 1961.
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