The Polegreen Story

Where Religious Freedom Began in Virginia

Polegreen Church was ground zero for the fight for religious liberty in colonial America and it changed the course of our nation's history.

Did You Know?

• Patrick Henry learned to be an orator here, worshipping alongside his mother for 12 years
• The first African American spiritual was created at Polegreen: “Lord, I want to be a Christian in my Heart”
• America's first hymn writer served as pastor here
• The church survived 120 years of revolution and war, only to be destroyed in 1864 by tragic friendly fire

The Beginning: When Faith Was Illegal

1607-1730s: One Church, One Rule

For 170 years, Virginia had only one legal religion: the Anglican Church. The colonial government built the churches, paid the clergy, and taxed everyone whether they agreed or not. All other faiths were actively suppressed.

1739: A Spark Ignites

When British evangelist George Whitefield preached in Williamsburg, his message spread like wildfire. A Hanover County brick mason named Samuel Morris did something radical: he began gathering neighbors in his home on Sunday afternoons to read the Bible and Whitefield's sermons.

This was the beginning of Virginia's religious freedom movement.

1743: The First Victory

After years of meeting in secret, four “reading houses” were officially licensed as the first legal non-Anglican gathering places in Virginia. The one on Morris' land was named after George Polegreen, a previous landowner.

Reverend Samuel Davies

The Samuel Davies Era (1747-1759)

The Man Who Changed Everything

At just 23 years old, Reverend Samuel Davies arrived from Pennsylvania as the first non-Anglican minister ever licensed to preach in Virginia. Over the next 12 years, he became a force of nature:

As an Educator:

• Pioneered education for enslaved people
• Created the first American hymns and poetry
• Published widely, spreading ideas throughout the colonies

As a Patriot:

• Became “the best recruiter in the Colony” during the French and Indian War (according to Governor Dinwiddie)
• Inspired a generation of revolutionary leaders

As an Orator:

• Had “no peer as a pulpit orator in Virginia or perhaps in all the colonies”
• Personally mentored young Patrick Henry, who later said Davies taught him “what an orator should be”

For Students & Educators

Connect to Your Curriculum:

• American Revolution: Religious freedom as a founding principle
• Civil Rights: Early efforts in racial equality and education
• Literature & Music: Origins of American hymnody and spiritual traditions
• Public Speaking: Patrick Henry's rhetorical training ground
• Colonial History: Life in pre-Revolutionary Virginia

The Civil War Tragedy

May 29, 1862: Documented

Interior of Historic Polegreen Church. Drawing by Lieutenant Thomas M. Farrell, 1862. Exterior of Historic Polegreen Church. Drawing by Lieutenant Thomas M. Farrell, 1862.

Union Lieutenant Thomas M. Farrell sketched the church while on reconnaissance. His drawings are the only surviving images of the original structure. (His great-grandson discovered them decades later while cleaning a basement!)

May 1864: Destroyed

During Grant's attempt to break through Lee's lines at Totopotomoy Creek, Union forces occupied Polegreen Church as a strategic position. Confederate artillery fired to dislodge them.

The heartbreaking irony: The Confederate gunner whose shot set the church ablaze was William S. White. His own father had been baptized at Polegreen.

1864-Present: Lost and Found

Why Polegreen Matters Today

This isn't just local history. Polegreen Church represents:

• The birth of religious freedom in America
• The power of peaceful resistance to unjust laws
• Early efforts toward racial equality in education
• The training ground of Revolutionary leaders
• A bridge between colonial and modern America