The former Union Baptist Chapel at Maryus now lives on as a preserved landmark of Tidewater heritage.

At 10301 Maryus Road in Hayes, Virginia, stands one of Gloucester County’s few remaining 19th-century chapels still on its original foundation. Built circa 1895, this modest frame structure began life as the Union Baptist Chapel at Maryus—a mission branch of Union Baptist Church organized to serve the isolated fishing and farming families of the lower peninsula. The land was donated in 1894 by Thomas Hogge, whose gift provided a gathering place for worship, fellowship, and community life along the marshlands of the York River.

For decades, the little white chapel echoed with hymns and Sunday sermons that drifted across the fields toward the Chesapeake. Its architecture was simple and dignified: a steep gabled roof of tin, tall narrow windows to catch the coastal light, and hand-planed clapboard walls raised by local craftsmen. This was a sanctuary built not for grandeur but for endurance—a reflection of the community’s quiet devotion.

By the early 20th century, improved roads and automobiles made travel to the main Union Baptist Church in Achilles easier. The Maryus chapel gradually closed as a regular place of worship, and over time its use shifted. Another congregation—the Church of God at Maryus—later established its own building farther down Maryus Road, continuing the tradition of faith in the area. It was that later structure, not this one, that was tragically destroyed by fire in recent years.

Digital reconstruction of the 1890 Union Baptist Chapel at Maryus, shown beside its present-day restored form. No surviving photographs of the original structure are known.

The building at 10301 Maryus Road, by contrast, endured. Carefully restored by its present owners, Trinity Enterprises of FL, LLC, the original chapel has been preserved as a private residence while maintaining the integrity of its historic design. The steep roofline, narrow windows, and original frame remain intact, a living architectural echo of the 1890s. Where pews once stood, sunlight now falls across refinished floors and handcrafted details that honor the workmanship of the past.

Set only a few miles from historic Yorktown, the land beneath this home shares the deeper heritage of Virginia’s coastal frontier. Before the chapel rose here, these fields would have witnessed centuries of Tidewater life—colonial farming, maritime trade, and perhaps even troop movements during the Revolution. Today, the building serves as both home and heritage site, its survival a rare testament to the resilience of rural faith and craftsmanship in the Chesapeake region.

This restoration is not merely a renovation; it is a preservation of identity. The old Union Baptist Chapel at Maryus endures as a tangible link to the generations who gathered, prayed, and built community here more than a century ago. It stands now as a symbol of continuity—proof that history, when cared for, can still be lived in.

“This isn’t renovation—it’s resurrection. A 19th-century chapel reimagined with respect for its roots and vision for its future.”

The 1890 Union Baptist Chapel at Maryus, shown prior to restoration. One of the few surviving 19th-century chapels in lower Gloucester, its original frame and roofline remain intact—no historic photos of the chapel are known to exist. This picture was taken prior to renovation.

Sources & Historical Context
Research compiled from Gloucester County property archives, the Gazette-Journal, the Gloucester Genealogical Society, and Union Baptist Church historical records. Special thanks to the Gloucester Historical Society for preserving the region’s community history.