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County Life, Cultural Objects
Topeco Church of the Brethren Commemorative Plates
People
Maker/Creator: UnknownDate
1974Places
Topeco (Courthouse District)Material/Medium
Porcelain
Specifications
- Diameter: 10 inches
Description
These porcelain plates feature photographic images of 1898 and 1972 church buildings constructed for the Topeco Church of the Brethren congregation. They were manufactured by the Preston-Hopkinson Company which marketed them as “Fotoware.” The plates have gold rims and the bottom of each plate is stamped with “Preston-Hopkinson Co. Appomattox, Virginia For Decorative Use Only.”
Keywords
Souvenir plate, commemorative plate, "Fotoware"Notes
A 2005 article in the Church of the Brethren Messenger sited Floyd County as the “Most Brethren County in the USA” with over ten percent of county residents identifying as Brethren. The first Brethren communion and Love Feast is thought to have been held around 1800 at Benjamin Weddle’s cabin (roughly a mile from the current church). In the early years worshippers hosted meetings in their homes. The 1972 plate shows the third Topeco Church, a building that replaced the frame structure shown on the first plate. The frame structure was built in 1895 to replace the original 1857 Brick Church. Descendants of Benjamin Weddle were foremen for the construction of all three buildings.