Shineforth

Shineforth Child & Family Services (originally known as the Virginia Conference Orphanage of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South) was incorporated in 1900 and opened here in 1902. Organized as an agricultural community, the orphanage maintained farms here and in New Kent County. Residents attended school, raised crops and livestock, and learned domestic skills. In the 1950s, farming operations ceased and a new building campaign modernized the campus. Known after 1980 as United Methodist Family Services, the agency expanded to other localities in Virginia, offering social services such as adoption and foster care, residential treatment, and education. It was renamed Shineforth in 2025.

Department of Historic Resources, 2025