Leesburg in Loudoun County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)

Old Stone Church Site

Photographed by Craig Swain, July 4, 2007

1. Old Stone Church Site Marker

Inscription. One block north on Cornwall Street is the site of the first Methodist-owned property in America. Lot 50 was deeded to the Methodist Society in Leesburg on May 11, 1766. In 1778, the Sixth American Conference of Methodists met there, the first such gathering in Virginia. At least two church buildings occupied the site before 1902, when the “Old Stone Church” was demolished. The churchyard is maintained as a national historic shrine of the United Methodist Church.

Erected 1989 by Department of Conservation and Historic Resources. (Marker Number T-23.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Colonial Era • Religion & Religious Structures. In addition, it is included in the Virginia Department of Historic Resources (DHR) series list. A significant historical month for this entry is May 1892.

Location. 39° 6.956′ N, 77° 34′ W. Marker is in Leesburg, Virginia, in Loudoun County. It is at the intersection of Market Street (Business Virginia Route 7) and Liberty Street, on the left when traveling west on Market Street. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Leesburg VA 20175, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in the Washington Metropolitan Area

and in Northern Virginia.

It is also in the American South,

specifically in the Upper South,

and in the Mid-Atlantic.

Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region,

North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the original Thirteen Colonies,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 10 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Leesburg (about 500 feet away); Journey to Freedom Mural (about 500 feet away); a different marker

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also named Old Stone Church Site (about 500 feet away); Early Methodism in Leesburg (about 500 feet away); Highlights of History / The Old Stone Church in Nineteenth-Century Leesburg (about 500 feet away); Site of The Old Stone Church / Successors to the Old Stone Church (about 600 feet away); An Early Methodist Parsonage / The Archaeology of a Church (about 600 feet away); In 2018 during the construction of new residences… (about 600 feet away); a different marker also named Leesburg (about 600 feet away); In Memory of Richard Owings (about 600 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Leesburg.

Another marker is no longer nearby. 1862 Antietam Campaign (was about 500 feet away, measured in a direct line but has been permanently removed).

More about this marker. At the entrance to the present day Leesburg United Methodist Church. The site of the original stone church is approximately 500 feet north at the intersection of Cornwall and Liberty Streets.

Also see . . . Article on Old Stone Church

Marker at Current Leesburg United Methodist Church image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Craig Swain, July 4, 2007

2. Marker at Current Leesburg United Methodist Church

. From the General Commission on Archives and History of the United Methodist Church. (Submitted on July 4, 2007, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia.)

Site of the Old Stone Church image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Craig Swain, July 4, 2007

3. Site of the Old Stone Church

Brick walking paths outline the walls of the original church. Displays in the kiosk detail the church congregation history and the cemetery.

The Oldest Tombstones image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Craig Swain, July 4, 2007

4. The Oldest Tombstones

The stones date to 1777 and 1779.

Foot Marker at Shrine Entrance image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Craig Swain, July 4, 2007

5. Foot Marker at Shrine Entrance

Plaque reads: Early Methodism in Leesburg. On this site, deeded in 1766, stood the old methodist meeting house completed about 1770. Here in 1778 was held the sixth conference of American Methodism and the first in Virginia. In this cemetery in 1786 was buried Richard Owings, first native Methodist preacher in America. The old stone church was dismantled in 1901. Erected by Leesburg Methodist Church, July 13, 1952.

Credits. This page was last revised on January 21, 2023. It was originally submitted on July 4, 2007, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia. This page has been viewed 2,974 times since then and 17 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on July 4, 2007, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia. • J. J. Prats was the editor who published this page.