Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: THURSDAY, June 16, 1994                   TAG: 9406210092
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: C-4   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

OLD BUILDINGS, NEW LANDMARKS

Water was needed for indoor plumbing, though, so the church could grow a little. Its sanctuary was built in 1873.

A donation drive produced two bathrooms, a refurbished kitchen, water fountains and a paved drive less than a year later.

Wednesday, Mount Moriah Baptist Church - which began as a thatched-roof, open-air shelter that slaves fashioned African-style around 1858 - received more good news. The church, located near the Roanoke County line off U.S. 460, was formally added to the Virginia Landmarks Registry.

"I'm elated. It's been an uphill struggle, but now we can keep the doors open," said Louise Curtis Thompson when told of the news Wednesday afternoon. She has been the clerk of the church for 35 years.

"We were worried at one point a few years ago, when someone tried to buy the land next to the church," Thompson said. "But I always kept the faith that we'd get there."

Thompson said the church, with a working congregation of 12 members, has plans to open for visitors at least one day a week.

Deborah Woodward, an assistant with the Virginia Department of Historic Resources, said the state designation "draws importance" to a property's significance in a community for planning and educational purposes.

The action doesn't restrict a property owner in any way and opens the door to possible state preservation-grant funds and technical assistance, she said.

The Virginia Historic Resources Board also voted this week to recommend that Mount Moriah be added to the National Register of Historic Places.

That recommendation will be acted on at the national level later, according to Deborah Woodward of the Virginia Department of Historic Resources.

Another area property, the William Ingles House (La Riviere) in Radford, also was added to the state Landmark Register Wednesday. It was recommended for national consideration Tuesday.

The brick and stucco residence overlooking the New River was designed by Ingles, a railroad engineer and community leader, and built in 1892-93. Among its features are a battlemented tower, a wraparound porch and a paneled front hall with a grand stair and inglenook.

Roberta Ingles Steele - a family descendant - and her husband, Paul Steele, now own the home.