First called the Church by the Spring, Oakland Grove Church may have been organized as early as 1834, but it was officially established circa 1847 as a mission of Covington Presbyterian Church. A simple brick house of worship constructed during a religious reawakening among area Presbyterians, Oakland Grove is the oldest-known church building in Alleghany County and is one of the county's chief historic landmarks. During the Civil War, Confederates used the church as a hospital, and its military significance was further enhanced by the proximity of the Jackson River depot on the Virginia Central Railroad just to the east.