Berryville (formerly Buckmarsh) Baptist Church

Berryville (formerly Buckmarsh) Baptist Church is at 114 Academy Street. John Gerrard (Garrard, ca. 1720-87), in 1772, constituted the Buckmarsh church. James Ireland (ca. 1745-1806) served the Buckmarsh pastorate from 1786 until his death. Ireland’s remains lie in an unknown grave in the Buckmarsh cemetery. A historical plaque marks the site where Buckmarsh Baptist once stood. The plaque is only a few yards north of the VA 7 overpass on US 340 (southbound lane), just north of Berryville. In the 1840s the Buckmarsh congregation moved into Berryville and changed their name to Berryville Baptist. Note: The marker on US 340 gives 1778 as the year Ireland began his pastorate at Buckmarsh, but a James Ireland memorial cenotaph, at Berryville Baptist Church, has a bronze plaque, giving 1786 as the date. The year 1786 is accurate, since Gerrard was pastor until near the time of his death in 1787.

copyrighted and used by permission from David Beale, Baptist History in England and America: Personalities, Positions, and Practices

Photo By Craig Swain, July 8, 2007 HMDB.org