SUFFOLK, Va. — As the United States moves toward its 250th anniversary, Cypress Chapel in Suffolk stands as a quiet witness to centuries of change, faith, and community life in southeastern Virginia.
Founded in 1746, Cypress Chapel Christian Church's first building was erected in 1750 — decades before the United States was founded and nearly 40 years before George Washington became president.
"This church basically was established before the United States," Mary Hill said.
Hill is a committee leader for Virginia 250. She helped secure a historical marker for Cypress Chapel Christian Church, one of Suffolk's oldest congregations.
"It's very important that we preserve the history and legacy and as I mentioned it's the fundamental fabric of our country," Hill said.
The church has played a role in Virginia's history for generations, from holding services during the Revolutionary War era to helping shape a growing Christian movement in the commonwealth.
"There was no other place locally, this is around the edge of the Dismal Swamp, there was no other place locally to worship at all. So this was the main gathering spot," Roger Williams said.
Williams has been a member of the church since the 1980s. He says while the church has evolved over the centuries, its small-town feel has never changed.
"It's a great church, it's out here in a rural community, it's not a mega church, it's more personal and we like it that way," Williams said.
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