St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church

St. Stephen's Church was organized in 1842 to serve residents of this area who previously had to travel to St. James’ Church in Warrenton. Located between the strategically important Warrenton Turnpike and the Orange & Alexandria Railroad, St. Stephen’s was in the path of both armies during the Civil War. The 6th Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry established its headquarters in the sanctuary in April 1862, and two brigades of Confederate Maj. Gen. J.E.B. Stuart’s cavalry corps encamped nearby in Oct. 1863. The church burned during the war. Women led efforts to raise funds for a new Gothic Revival sanctuary, built in 1879, and to reopen the church in 1939 after the Great Depression.