Capon Chapel
National Register of Historic Places

Capon Chapel

Capon Bridge, Hampshire County, West Virginia
Listed
December 12, 2012
Type
Building
Period
Colonial
Ref No.
12001048

About this property

Capon Chapel, also historically known as Capon Baptist Chapel and Capon Chapel Church, is a mid-19th century United Methodist church located near to the town of Capon Bridge, West Virginia, in the United States. Capon Chapel is one of the oldest existing log churches in Hampshire County, along with Mount Bethel Church and Old Pine Church. A Baptist congregation was gathering at the site of the present-day church by at least 1756. Primitive Baptist minister John Monroe (1750–1824) is credited for establishing a place of worship at this site; he is interred in the church's cemetery. The land on which Capon Chapel was built originally belonged to William C. Nixon (1789–1869), a member of the Virginia House of Delegates; later, it was transferred to the Pugh family. The first documented mention of a church at the Capon Chapel site was in March 1852, when Joseph Pugh allocated the land to three trustees for the construction of a church and cemetery. During the early years of Capon Chapel, no Protestant denomination was the exclusive owner or occupant, and the church was probably utilized as a "union church" for worship by any Christian denomination. Capon Chapel was used as a place of worship by Baptists until the late 19th or early 20th century. In the 1890s, Capon Chapel was added as a place of worship on the Capon Bridge Methodist circuit of the Southern Methodist Episcopal Church. As of 2017, Capon Chapel remains a Methodist church, now a part of the United Methodist Church, holding Methodist services four Sundays per month at 1pm. Open table communion is held on the first Sunday of each month. Capon Chapel also maintains a daily devotion hotline. Capon Chapel's cemetery is surrounded by a wrought iron fence made by Stewart Iron Works, and contains the remains of John Monroe, William C. Nixon, West Virginia House of Delegates member Captain David Pugh (1806–1899), American Civil War veterans from the Union and the Confederacy, and free and enslaved African Americans. Capon Chapel, along with its cemetery, was added to the National Register of Historic Places on December 12, 2012, in recognition of its representation of the rural religious architecture of the Potomac Highlands region, and for its service as an important rural church in Hampshire County.

Location

Capon Bridge, Hampshire County, West Virginia
39.27162, -78.44388

Categories

ARCHITECTURE
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Unlimited access

Everything a full report reveals about Capon Chapel

This page lists Capon Chapel. A full Aubrey report for an address near it pulls together this listing alongside battlefield records, land patents, and every other historical record within a chosen radius:

Overview
An interactive map of the location with historic sites, battles and Native heritage plotted, and its full story era by era.
The Land
The historic sites and place names around the location, and how this land was settled and used.
Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back millions of years.
LiDAR Terrain
Laser-scanned terrain that reveals earthworks and old features hidden in the landscape.
Conflict & War
The battles, raids and skirmishes fought near here, across every era of American conflict.
The Civil War
The Civil War on this ground, 1861 to 1865: who held it, and the battles, camps and regiments nearby.
The Soldiers
The men who marched from here in the Civil War, named and traced where the record allows.
Native Heritage
The Native nations who held this land, mapped across time from before European contact to today.
Settlement
Who claimed and held this ground, from Indigenous homelands through the colonial powers to the United States.
The Community
How the town grew, who came, and what kind of place it became, traced through the census record.
Rivers & Rail
The rivers, canals and railroads that connected this place between 1830 and 1911.
Notable People
The people born, buried or genuinely tied to this exact place, with their stories.
Historical Maps
Historic maps of the location layered over how it looks today.
Finds & Access
Museum objects tied to the area, and the laws on searching, collecting and access here.
Literature
The old books, county histories and archives that mention this place, quoted with their sources.
Spotlight
A deep dive into the most remarkable, lesser-known history of the place, traced back to the record.
Points of Interest
The most significant historic sites and landmarks near the location, and why they matter.
Timeline
The whole story of the location told era by era, from first peoples to the present day.
First month just $5.99, then $11.99 a month. Unlimited locations, cancel anytime.

Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.

Start your Capon Chapel report
Or see a real report first

Nearby Historic Sites

Pugh, Capt. David, House
Industrial
2.1 mi
Hook's Tavern
Early Republic
2.6 mi
North River Mills Historic District
Listed
5.6 mi
Yellow Spring Mill
Industrial
7.1 mi
Capon Lake Whipple Truss Bridge, formerly South Branch Bridge
Early Republic
9.1 mi

Nearby Battles

Skirmish at Nineveh (Frederick County)
1864Civil War
14.2 mi
Cavalry Fight at Nineveh
1864Civil War
15.5 mi

Questions about this property

When was Capon Chapel listed on the National Register?

Capon Chapel was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on December 12, 2012.

What type of historic resource is Capon Chapel?

Capon Chapel is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Capon Chapel?

The period of significance for Capon Chapel is recorded as the colonial era, specifically around 1756.

Can I research the history near Capon Chapel?

Yes. Aubrey Research reports search National Register listings, battlefield records, land patents, and other primary historical sources within any radius of a US address. A report for an address near Capon Chapel will include this listing and all other historical records in the area.

More in Hampshire County

Historic places, battles, and census history across Hampshire County.

Explore HampshireCounty ›

More historic places in West Virginia

Browse all historic places in West Virginia.

View West Virginiahistoric sites ›

Conflict records

Explore 19,000+ military engagements across American history.

Browse US conflicts ›

West Virginia history

Colonial settlement, territorial period, and statehood narrative.

West Virginiahistory ›

Research the history near this site

An Aubrey US report for an address near Capon Chapel will include this listing alongside battlefield records and other historical sources within your chosen radius.

Research your locationView a free sample report