FLINT HILL UMC

The Flint Hill Methodist Church was organized about 1832 and the building constructed in 1847. The Virginia Gazetteer of 1835 mentions the fact that there was “1 house of public worship free for all denominations.” Originally there was a Masonic Lodge Chapel on the upper floor, but this was ruined when it was necessary to replace the supporting posts in the sanctuary. During the Civil War, it is said that local people hid their meats upstairs to keep them from being confiscated by Yankee soldiers who were in the area. When salt from these meats seeped through the floor into the plaster it disintegrated and Mr. Joseph Reid installed decorative tin on the walls and ceiling to cover the old plaster. In 1943 this tin was taken off and replaced with plaster. This project was financed by money raised by the late Mrs. H.S. Barksdale at a big dinner held at the old Ricketts Hotel in Flint Hill. After the church was completely made over inside and new windows installed, a Dedication Service was held on December 5, 1943. Present at this service was the Bishop in Charge, Bishop W.W. Peele, the District Superintendent, the Reverend Bernard S. Via, and the Pastor, the Reverend L.C. Vaughan. In 1950 a new front was put onto the building to accommodate five Sunday School rooms. From time to time the property has been added to so that now there is a large cemetery at the rear of the building in addition to ample grounds on either side.  ~  Information found from an unknown book titled “Rappahannock History.”