Built in 1835, Saint John’s Church replaced the Lunenburg Parish Lower Church, built about 1732 and abandoned after the American Revolution and the disestablishment of the Anglican Church. While some colonial Anglican churches were occupied by different denominations and others fell into ruin, Saint John’s Church, with its Flemish-bond brick and classical Revival design, exemplified the revitalization of the Episcopal Church in Virginia under Rt. Rev. Richard Channing Moore, second bishop of Virginia from 1814 to 1841, who revived old parishes and rebuilt ruined churches. He inspired young rectors, including the Rev. George Washington Nelson, who is buried in the churchyard and who revived North Farnham, Cople, and Lunenburg Parishes.