Polegreen Church near Mechanicsville, Virginia, is an archaeological site linked to Virginia’s early struggle over religious dissent and freedom. Emerging from the First Great Awakening, it became one of the Hanover County meeting houses authorized for dissenters in 1743 and served as the base of Presbyterian missionary Samuel Davies from 1743 to 1759. Davies preached widely, helped organize the Hanover Presbytery in 1755, wrote hymns, and educated enslaved people. Patrick Henry later credited Davies with influencing his oratory. During the Civil War in 1864, the church was destroyed by Confederate fire during fighting near Totopotomoy Creek, and the congregation could not rebuild.

Mechanicsville, Virginia · USA