History as a Shared Experience
History is a two-way street, kept alive by a system of sharing, both giving and receiving. History stays in touch.
Not every member of the Robertson County Historical Society lives in the county. One such member, who is always eager to share, is historian and Robertson County native, Betty Bishop.
She says, “Robertson County gave me ancestors; some were special and some were just there:
- Young
- Baird
- Jones
- Cavitt
- Roney
- Jackson
- Moss
- Simmons
- Covington
- Boyles & Jernigan
Blandford Church and Cemetery
Betty now lives in Historic Petersburg, Virginia, and one of the places close to her heart is the Blandford Church and Cemetery. Blandford Church is the “oldest structure in Petersburg with a clearly documented history.” It was built from 1735 to 1737 on the highest point in Petersburg, Wells’ Hill.
The oldest marked grave in the Blandford Church cemetery is that of Major General William Phillips, Commander of British troops, who died in 1781.
Civil War Significance
Memorial Hill in the cemetery contains the mass grave of 30,000 Confederate soldiers. The famous preacher George Whitefield preached at the church in 1737. In 1799, a memorial service was held in the church for George Washington.
Around 1805, the church was abandoned, and the congregation began meeting in the new Episcopal Church in Petersburg on the site of the current Courthouse.
Role in the Civil War
During the Civil War, Blandford Church played a significant role. Beginning in May 1862, the church served as a major telegraph station.
During the Siege of Petersburg from June 15, 1864, to April 2, 1865, Blandford Church was hit by three shells. Its primary use during the siege was as a hospital, most notably after the Battle of the Crater on July 30, 1864.
Restoration and Tiffany Windows
Between 1889 and 1905, the Ladies Memorial Association (LMA) paid for a speaker’s stand and 34 pews inside the church.
In 1901, the City of Petersburg gave the church to the LMA, who restored it as a memorial to the Confederate dead. The LMA requested funds from the 11 Confederate states, Maryland, and Missouri for the windows.
Tiffany’s Contribution
From 1904 to 1912, these states funded memorial windows to their soldiers that were designed and built by Louis Comfort Tiffany. On September 9, 1904, the Virginia, Missouri, and Louisiana windows were the first to be dedicated. Georgia dedicated the 15th and final window on November 18, 1912.
Each of these 13 states donated windows, as did the LMA and Tiffany himself.