Stephens City in Frederick County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)

Stephens Family

By Devry Becker Jones, October 23, 2020

1. Stephens Family Marker

Inscription. Click to hear the inscription.

Peter and Maria Stephens, German immigrants, settled here with their children in 1732. They had come from Pennsylvania with a group led by Jost Hite to form the Opequon settlement, a set of dispersed homesteads in this region. Archaeology reveals that the Stephens house occupied a site that Native Americans had once inhabited. Peter and Maria's son Lewis, land speculator, entrepreneur, and militia officer, laid out a town here, which the General Assembly established as Stephensburgh in 1758. The town, later known as Newtown and then as Stephens City, was about a day's wagon journey south of Winchester, setting a precedent for similarly spaced developments along the Great Valley Road.

Erected 2019 by Department of Historic Resources. (Marker Number A 127.)

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Colonial Era • Native Americans • Roads & Vehicles • Settlements & Settlers. A significant historical year for this entry is 1732.

Location. 39° 4.813′ N, 78° 13.256′ W. Marker is in Stephens City, Virginia, in Frederick

By Devry Becker Jones, October 23, 2020

2. Stephens Family Marker

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County. Marker is on Stephens Run Street just west of Main Street (U.S. 11), on the right when traveling west. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 5511 Main St, Stephens City VA 22655, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 3 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Newtown Stephensburg Historic District (within shouting distance of this marker); In Memory of All American Veterans (within shouting distance of this marker); Newtown (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); The Old Graveyard (approx. 0.2 miles away); Andrew Pitman House (approx. 0.2 miles away); Hunter's Raid Begins (approx. ¼ mile away); Stephens City (approx. 0.9 miles away); House of First Settler (approx. 2.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Stephens City.

Credits. This page was last revised on October 24, 2020. It was originally submitted on October 24, 2020, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 45 times since then and 2 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on October 24, 2020, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.