Driving Tour
- Vauter's Episcopal Church, 1731, is on Rt. 17 north of Loretto, 16 miles north of Tappahannock. St. Anne's Parish built the first half of the church in 1719, with an addition in 1731, making it one of the county's oldest structures and an illustration of the craftsmanship that existed among Virginia builders. After the American Revolution and the disestablishment of the Church of England, Vauter's Church passed out of service. In 1822 regular service resumed for the first time since 1776. The church was remodeled in 1827, when the box pews were reduced in height and the present two-deck pulpit replaced the colonial one of three decks. Vauters is the 11th oldest of 48 colonial churches still standing in Virginia. The masonry is among the finest of any colonial church. For more information about Vauter's Episcopal Church see Historic Homes in Essex County.
- Wheatland was built in the early 1800's by John Saunders and overlooks Saunder's Wharf, the only steam boat wharf still visible on the Rappahannock River. It is not open to the public.
- St. Paul's Episcopal Church, erected in 1838-39, located 10 miles west of town on Rt. 360, and Mt. Zion Baptist at Dunbrooke, built in the 1850's boast Gothic style embellishments on their traditional rectangular forms. Part of the ruins of the Old Piscataway Church were used in the construction of St. Paul's, the vestry was added in 1924, and it retains the rural simplicity of clear glass Gothic windows and it's Hobart unconventional pulpit.
