RICHMOND — Prospects for reconstructing at Eagle Eyrie Baptist Conference Center the 18th-century house associated with an early Virginia Baptist leader moved a few steps forward last April, when the the Jeremiah Moore House Commission held its initial meeting at the conference center near Lynchburg.
Jeremiah Moore, an early proponent of religious liberty, was twice imprisoned for unlawful preaching in colonial Virginia. He was the founding pastor of First Baptist Church of Alexandria and preached the dedicatory sermon for First Baptist Church of Washington, D.C. He influenced Jefferson's and Madison's political thinking and was known by the leading Baptist figures of the times.
In 1790 he built Moorefield, a modest house located in what is now Vienna in Northern Virginia, where he lived until his death in 1815. In time the house was surrounded by housing and commercial developments. In 2003 after several attempts to preserve the house on its original site, the structure was dismantled and the pieces marked for possible future reconstruction. A private historical association was formed to preserve the materials, which have remained in storage.
In 2006, members of the historical association proposed to the Virginia Baptist Mission Board's Eagle Eyrie committee locating the house on Eagle Eyrie property. A commission was formed earlier this year to consider the possibilities. Members of the commission are Fred Anderson, Jere Allen, Francis Amos, Robert B. Bass, Robert Cochran, Donald Davidson, Jerry Duane, David L. Henderson, Ellen Jamerson, Carl W. Johnson, Rod Miller, Dennis Sacrey, Frank G. Schwall Jr. and Margaret B. Wayland.
At its April meeting, the commission heard an overview on Moorefield and a report from an earlier visit with the preservationist who dismantled and numbered the materials. Subcommittees were appointed to consider architectural matters, site location and financial prospects.
Anderson, who chairs the commission, said the purpose of reconstruction is two-fold: to save the only building connected with the 18th-century struggle for religious liberty by Virginia Baptists and to create within the house educational exhibits focused on religious liberty.
“We have the fabric of an historic building,” he said. “We have access to an experienced and skilled preservationist to reconstruct the house. We have a site which is owned and visited by Virginia Baptists and a location within that property which would be highly visible. In essence, we have everything except the funds to make the project a reality. We recognize that such a project requires designated gifts from individuals, foundations and organizations which believe the reconstruction of Moorefield has merit and is important for present and future generations.”
Anderson estimated that reconstruction might require between $500,000 and $800,000.