Old Stone Church - Winchester, VA
Posted by: 
slippeddisk
N 39° 11.111 W 078° 09.584
17S E 745321 N 4341170
Built in 1788, Winchester's Old Stone Church stands as an early example of
Shenandoah Valley ecclesiastical architecture.
Waymark Code: WM28CG
Location: Virginia, United States
Date Posted: 09/21/2007
Views: 21
Built in 1788, Winchester's Old Stone Church stands as an early example of
Shenandoah Valley ecclesiastical architecture. The simple structure is typical
of the austere stone meeting houses erected by the Presbyterian settlers up and down
the Valley. The building has suffered numerous changes over the years --changes
that reflect the history of an active and strife-torn city. However, through a
sensitive, scholarly restoration, the building now resembles its original state and
thus provides insight into the religious life of Virginia's early Presbyterians.
The Scotch-Irish Presbyterians who established their faith in and around Winchester
and constructed the Old Stone Church came into the Shenandoah Valley from the
Cumberland Valley of Pennsylvania. The church bears numerous similarities to the
Paxton Presbyterian Church constructed in 1740 in Paxtang, Pennsylvania. The
Virginia Gazette (Winchester Advertiser) announced that on Saturday, the 26th of July
1788, any persons "desirous of becoming undertakers will please to attend with plans
and estimates" to the house of iIr. John Donaldson for the purpose of subscribing to
build a Presbyterian meeting house. William Holliday, James Holliday, and Robert
Sherrard are listed as the Managers. Construction of the building was begun that year
as the cornerstone at the lower south corner of the building attests.
Original Nomination