Norwood/Wingina
Nelson County, Virginia
The Historical Society of Nelson County Presents Its 21st Nelson County Historic Home Tour and the Virginia Historic Highway Marker Unveiling— “Boyhood Home of the Rev. Dr. W.A.R. Goodwin, Father of Colonial Williamsburg”
Saturday, May 14, 2011
10:30 a.m.—Christ Episcopal Church Goodwin Marker Unveiling and Program
11:30 a.m.–5:00 p.m.—Tour of homes and properties in the Norwood and Wingina communities
In the picture above, Christ Episcopal Church was built in 1844–45 on land donated by the Cabell family at New Market (Nor- wood). This historic Episcopal church in the Nelson Parish of the Dioceses of Virginia produced several young men who became clergymen and missionaries. The first minister for the church was Rev. Mr. F.D. Goodwin, grandfather of W.A.R. Goodwin. As a youth growing up in New Market, W.A.R. (Will) attended Christ Church where his mother was Sunday School superintendent, and his father was senior warden. Another minister from Christ Church was the Rev. Dr. William Cabell Brown. While a missionary, he translated the Prayer Book into Portuguese, and later became a Bishop of the Diocese of Virginia.
In recent years, services were held the second and fourth Sundays, until the mid-1990s, when declining membership forced the church to close. For a few years, a portion of the building was used as a U.S. Post Office for the Norwood community. The original pews and pulpit furniture remain in the church.
The building was purchased in 2010 with plans for restoration and to become “Christ Church—A Center for the Arts” for the surrounding communities. The church will be open for the May 14th tour.
Historical Society of Nelson County on the web: www.nelsonhistorical.com
