Leesburg in Loudoun County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)
Site of The Old Stone Church
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Successors to the Old Stone Church
Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), January 21, 2023
1. Site of The Old Stone Church side of the marker
Site of The Old Stone Church
A National Historic Shrine of the United Methodist Church
To this place pilgrims come to trace the beginnings of Methodism in America. The Old Stone Church Site holds a special place in the history of the Methodist movement. Its claims to historical priority lies in its deed: the Site, historians believe, was the first property in America deeded solely for a Methodist church.
That deed, dated May 11, 1766, conveyed the property to Leesburg Methodists "for no other use but for a church or meeting house and grave yard."
Gravesite Key
Using the map above as your guide, you are welcome to walk through the churchyard, studying the marks of its past life.
A- The Reverend Samuel Gover (June 11, 1795 - June 21, 1875) and his wife, Susannah Gover, died April 5, 1854, aged 59 years.
B- John Adams of "Church Hill," Fairfax County, died December 1839, aged 70 years.
C- The Reverend John Gill Watt, died September 23, 1842.
D- The Reverend Christopher Frye (February 13, 1778 - September 15, 1835).
E- Murray family graves.
F- Unmarked graves of Thompson family.
G- Rose familygraves.
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H- Mary Gover Head and (unmarked) several of Head family.
I- Unmarked graves of Towner family.
J- Unmarked graves of Steadman family.
K- Earliest marked graves: Mrs. Sarah Armat, died April 1779; Captain Wright Brickell, died June 1777; Richard Owings, died October 7, 1786.
L- Hamilton family graves.
M- Cemetery addition, 1850s.
N-Scattered graves surrounding parsonage.
When Southern sympathizers withdrew from the church in 1848 to form their own congregation they affiliated with the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, and acquired their own property in 1852. The Leesburg Church occupies its now-enlarged original building on Market Street one block to the south.
🕀 Black worshipers had attended the Old Stone Church from its beginnings but were counted as members only after 1789. Long desirous of owning their own church property, they formed the Mt. Zion Church two years after
Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), January 21, 2023
2. Successors to the Old Stone Church side of the marker
The Old Stone Church Site
The Old Stone Church Site is owned by the Virginia Conference Historical Society of the United Methodist Church. Since 1974 it has been maintained by The Old Stone Church Foundation, a non-profit, open-membership foundation committed to the preservation and interpretation of the Site.
In 1964 The Old Stone Church Site was designated a National Historic Shrine of Methodism.
It has since been listed on the Virginia Landmarks Register and the National Register of Historic Places.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Cemeteries & Burial Sites • Colonial Era • Religion & Religious Structures. A significant historical date for this entry is April 5, 1854.
Location. 39° 7.04′ N, 77° 33.957′ W. Marker is in Leesburg,
Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), January 21, 2023
3. Site of The Old Stone Church side of the marker
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 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Highlights of History / The Old Stone Church in Nineteenth-Century Leesburg (here, next to this marker); An Early Methodist Parsonage / The Archaeology of a Church (here, next to this marker); In 2018 during the construction of new residences (here, next to this marker);
By Devry Becker Jones (CC0), January 21, 2023
4. Successors to the Old Stone Church side of the marker
Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), January 21, 2023
5. National Register of Historic Places plaque for the Site
Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), January 21, 2023
6. Virginia Historic Landmark plaque for the Old Stone Church Site
Credits. This page was last revised on January 21, 2023. It was originally submitted on January 21, 2023, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 421 times since then and 15 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. submitted on January 21, 2023, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.
