Truro Church

As can be seen on this blog, I have been visiting a number of colonial churches lately. Sometimes, I plan to go see them. Other times, I happen across them. The other week though, I saw Truro Church while on the road and it completely fooled me. I had to stop and see it but the tiny chapel on Main St in Fairfax, VA, is not as old as it looks.

The congregation formed in 1845 so it cannot possibly be a pre-revolutionary structure. However, such classic details as Flemish bond, pedimented entries, hipped roof, and rubbed brick around arched windows could fool even the most seasoned architectural historians at first glance. A marble inscription around the side explains though, "This church erected 1933 replaces Old Payne's Church which was built in 1766|8 on the Old Ox Road and torn down 1861. 2.7 miles to old site."

At second glance, one will notice that the ratio of height to width for the pediments and hipped-roof are higher than seen at places like Falls Church or Pohick Church but its architecture was so expertly designed that one could easily dismiss this as purposeful. One fun detail that would have added some fake authenticity would have been carving graffiti into the exterior walls but they were all without scratches. As their congregation grew over the twentieth century, Truro Anglican built a larger sanctuary which was more beautiful but just as charming. It too was skillfully built with a dramatically recessed porch that cast shadows like a sundial.