The Childress Rock Churches are located in the relatively isolated counties of Floyd, Carroll, and Patrick in the Blue Ridge Province. Built between 1919 and the early 1950s by Presbyterian minister Robert “Bob” W. Childress, Sr. (1890 -1956), the six churches are significant in their embodiment of Appalachian patterns of Presbyterian worship and Presbyterian social activism in western Virginia. The churches also tell the story of the remarkable ministry of Reverend Childress, who is often credited for bringing spiritual faith and social awakening to the people of the area. Based on their significance in the areas of Religion, Social History, and Architecture, the churches were nominated to the Virginia Landmarks Register and the National Register of Historic Places in a 2006 multiple property document.
~ Michael Pulice, DHR architectural historian, Western Region Preservation Office.