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'''Stephens City''' ( |
'''Stephens City''' (pronounced "Steven's") is an ] in southern part of ], ], ] with a population of 1,146 at the time of the 2000 census, and estimated at 1,446 in 2006.<ref name="CensusPop">{{cite web | ||
| url = http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/SAFFPopulation?_event=Search&geo_id=16000US5176000&_geoContext=01000US%7C04000US51%7C16000US5176000&_street=&_county=Stephens+City&_cityTown=Stephens+City&_state=04000US51&_zip=&_lang=en&_sse=on&ActiveGeoDiv=geoSelect&_useEV=&pctxt=fph&pgsl=160&_submenuId=population_0&ds_name=null&_ci_nbr=null&qr_name=null®=null%3Anull&_keyword=&_industry= | | url = http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/SAFFPopulation?_event=Search&geo_id=16000US5176000&_geoContext=01000US%7C04000US51%7C16000US5176000&_street=&_county=Stephens+City&_cityTown=Stephens+City&_state=04000US51&_zip=&_lang=en&_sse=on&ActiveGeoDiv=geoSelect&_useEV=&pctxt=fph&pgsl=160&_submenuId=population_0&ds_name=null&_ci_nbr=null&qr_name=null®=null%3Anull&_keyword=&_industry= | ||
| title = Stephens City town, Virginia – Population Finder | | title = Stephens City town, Virginia – Population Finder |
Revision as of 06:49, 27 April 2010
Town in Virginia, United StatesStephens City, Virginia | |
---|---|
Town | |
Town of Stephens City | |
Town SealTown Seal | |
Location in Frederick County | |
Country | United States |
State | Virginia |
County | Frederick |
Founded | September 1, 1758 |
Founded by | Lewis Stephens |
Named for | The Stephens Family |
Government | |
• Mayor | Ray E. Ewing |
• Town Council |
Council members
|
• Delegate | Clifford L. "Clay" Athey (R) |
• VA Senate | Jill Holtzman Vogel (R) |
• U.S. Congress | Frank R. Wolf (R) |
Area | |
• Total | 3.7 km (1.4 sq mi) |
• Land | 3.7 km (1.4 sq mi) |
• Water | 0 km (0 sq mi) |
Elevation | 233 m (764 ft) |
Population | |
• Total | 1,446 |
• Density | 311.6/km (806.8/sq mi) |
• Demonym | Stephens Citian |
Time zone | UTC-5 (EST) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (EDT) |
ZIP code | 22655 |
Area code | 540 |
FIPS code | 51-75344Template:GR |
GNIS feature ID | 1500159Template:GR |
Website | www.stephenscity.vi.virginia.gov |
Stephens City (pronounced "Steven's") is an incorporated town in southern part of Frederick County, Virginia, United States with a population of 1,146 at the time of the 2000 census, and estimated at 1,446 in 2006.
The colonial town was chartered and named for Lewis Stephens in September of 1758. Stephens City is the second oldest town in the Shenandoah Valley after nearby Winchester, about five miles north. "Crossroads", the first free black community in the Valley in the antebellum years, was founded east of town in the 1850s.
The town celebrated its bicenquinquagenary or 250th anniversary, on September 1, 2008. A large section of the center of the town is part of the Newtown-Stephensburg Historic District, listed in 1992 on the National Register of Historic Places.
The town is a part of the Winchester, Virginia-West Virginia Metropolitan Statistical Area. This is part of the Washington-Baltimore-Northern Virginia, DC-MD-VA-WV Combined Statistical Area. The town is also part of the Winchester–Frederick County Metropolitan Planning Organization.
History
Stephens City was not settled by Europeans until the 1730s. Immigrants made their way to the backcountry of Pennsylvania and the southern colonies by the Great Wagon Road, starting in Philadelphia, the port of entry. Also called the Indian Road, it was based mostly on Native American trails well-established by centuries of use, but early travelers could go only by horseback and foot. Through the latter part of the eighteenth century, German, Scots-Irish and border English were the chief settlers in the backcountry, where they became subsistence farmers. The latter two comprised the largest group of immigrants from the British Isles to the Thirteen Colonies before the American Revolutionary War. Few held slaves.
Peter Stephens and a small party of German Protestants from Heidelberg, in the Palatinate, arrived about 1732 at what became Stephens City. Jost Hite, another early immigrant, purchased a large land grant in the lower Valley. The Germans established their "Opequon Settlement", named for a nearby creek, south of present-day Winchester. Like the indigenous peoples before them, they settled on the fertile bottomlands near Opequon Creek and the Shenandoah River. Stephens' family members and associates created a community along the Road.
They soon encountered Thomas Fairfax, 6th Lord Fairfax of Cameron (1693–1781), who was the major property owner in the northern Shenandoah Valley. He arrived in Virginia in 1735 to see lands he had inherited through his mother, Catherine Culpeper, Lady Fairfax. He settled and built his manor home "Greenway Court" west of the Shenandoah River near present-day White Post, eight miles (13 km) east of Stephensburg. Lord Fairfax claimed all of the lands in the Northern Shenandoah Valley, including those already granted to the Germans by the governor of Virginia. While Hite fought Fairfax's claims in court, the Stephens' men worked with the Baron to reach a beneficial conclusion.
Residents soon established a tavern, gristmill and other necessities. The frontier settlement was at risk during the French and Indian War (Seven Years War), and men joined the Frederick County militia reporting to the young George Washington. Lewis Stephens, oldest son of the founder, built a stone gunpowder magazine near his house on Cedar Creek. Later used as an icehouse, the magazine still stands. Likely with a log stockade, the complex was called "Stephens Fort" and provided settlers' refuge during attacks by Native Americans and French.
On land his father gave him in 1754, Lewis Stephens started to lay out town lots. He gained approval from the General Assembly in 1758 for a town of "Stephensburgh". The predominately German-speaking inhabitants soon dropped the "h"; the town was usually spelled "Stephensburg". In the 1760s, Lewis Stephens began an ironworks on his tract, for pig iron and wrought bar iron. In 1767 he sold the works to ironmaster Isaac Zane (1743–1795), who developed the Marlboro Furnace.
By the start of the Revolutionary War, Stephensburg was often called simply "New Town" or "Newtown", as the new settlement on the Great Wagon Road south of Winchester. By the time of the Civil War, it was most often called "Newtown". Many travelers going south in the valley rested at Newtown-Stephensburg. Visitors included itinerant preachers, some associated with the Great Awakening. One described the town's setting:
"It is, in its Situation, very delightful; from it there is a good View of both the North & South Mountain, the first fifteen, and the other thirty Miles Distance. From this Town may be seen, six Counties and there are but few such Prospects in America Hampshire, Dunmore, Culpepper, Farquier, Loudon, Frederick!—The Mountains, on a smoky, or dusky Day, appear vastly beautiful—Like a fine well-designed, & finished, Piece of Painting!"
The constant traffic made a lively scene:
"We see many every Day travelling out & in to & from Carolina, some on Foot with Packs; some on Horseback, & some in large covered Waggons—The Road here is much frequented, & the Country for an hundred & fifty miles farther West, thick inhabited."
Young men from Stephensburg served during the American Revolution, with two going to New York for battle. They died as prisoners of war, reflecting the poor conditions prevalent in camps, with infectious disease and malnutrition. Following the war, some slaveholders were moved by its principles to free their slaves. Methodists, Baptists and Quakers argued for manumission and abolition. John Bell Tilden, a veteran and prominent Methodist preacher, freed his slaves Lucy and her child James in April 1806. Some local Methodists followed Tilden's example.
With a growing population, in the 1790s the town gained the state legislature's permission to expand to the north. The Marlboro Furnace closed, but wagon making emerged as a far more important industry for the town. Teams of artisan specialists were employed by single contractors or "master" wagon makers. Blacksmiths, wheelwrights and others combined skills to produce the massive vehicles. By 1820 Stephensburg people owned nearly half the 27 wagon-making shops in Frederick County. The wagon industry in Stephensburg was famous in the region:
"Great numbers of wagons are made, – no less than 9 different establishments being engaged in this business, which make and send wagons to almost every part of the State, which for neatness, strength, and durability, are said not to be surpassed in the United States."
By 1830, the town's population had reached 800. The wagon-building craftsmen were integral to the transportation and freight industries of the Valley.
"...Newtown,...for more than a half century, retained the supremacy in building and fitting out the immense wagons capable of sustaining 4,500 to 5,000 pounds of freight. The wood work of the best material was made sometimes by the same man who had them ironed. The pitch in front and rear of the bodies, surmounted with bows and sheet, was such that four or five men could shelter under the projection. The harness is very heavy and the traces, breast and tongue chains of twisted links, and tire and all the iron used was of the best bar, made by Miller, Arthur, Newman, Blackford, Pennybaker and others. They cost from $150 to $200."
In the 1830s, the Valley Turnpike Company formed. Organized to improve the Great Wagon Road (today's US 11), it paved the dirt with macadam (indirectly enhancing Newtown's Main Street). The company used toll gates and hired keepers to collect fees to pay for the work.
Slaves escaped from the Valley, especially during the upheaval of war. In 1837 Joseph Taper escaped with his wife and at least one child; they reached Canada by August 1839. A year later he wrote to a local white slaveholder, Joseph Long. Taper said he "enjoyed more pleasure with one month...in Canada than in all my life in the land of bondage."
By the late 1850s, African Americans gathered to worship in their own chapel separate from the white Methodist congregation. Free blacks made a community about a mile east of Stephensburg, the first in the Valley before the American Civil War. In April 1853, George Fletcher and Enoch Jenkins bought adjacent lots and built log homes. A year later, Clara Banks bought a lot just to the north. These three were the first of the free blacks to found the unincorporated community of "Crossroads". Whites also called it "Freetown".
Civil War, 1861–1865
When the American Civil War broke out in 1861, the majority of Newtown's young men joined the Confederate forces. The Steele family kept diaries that describe the war’s effects on the town. Their oldest son Nimrod Hunter Steele, was a young lieutenant who died in 1861 of typhoid contracted at his camp. As during the Revolutionary War, more soldiers died of disease during the war than of wounds. Nimrod's two younger brothers also served, but both survived the war.
During the war, the town was "between the lines". It suffered disruptions by the Union troops’ occupations of Winchester and the region. At nightfall, Confederate sympathizers resumed control of many areas. Most of the engagements near Newtown did not threaten the lives or property of its residents.
On May 24, 1862, Stonewall Jackson's Confederate forces advanced northward on the Valley Pike and attacked Union troops. At Newtown, General George H. Gordon of the Second Massachusetts Infantry ordered his Federal troops to make a stand. The skirmishing involved heavy artillery fire, but Gordon's men retreated without loss of the important supply wagons. When Gordon left the town to Jackson's forces, both sides claimed a victory.
"he town changed possession six times" and the artillery battle raged. "Considering how thickly the shot and shell sometimes flew, it seems almost incredible that but two houses were struck by cannon balls."
Due to continued Confederate raids on Union wagon trains, in June 1862 Major Joseph K. Stearns of the 1st New York Cavalry arrived under orders to burn the town down. Major Stearns was met by a population of mostly old people, women and children. Community leaders protested their innocence and cited giving aid to wounded Union troops. Major Stearns' decided to disobey orders; in exchange he required the people to take the oath of allegiance to the Union. Many of the Civil War-era buildings spared that day still stand.
In 1863, enslaved blacks gained freedom by Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation. Before then, some in the area had escaped to freedom at the Union camp in Winchester. With emancipation, the majority of freedmen left the area, along with some historically free blacks. The collapse of the Confederate military in the northern Shenandoah Valley after October 1864 increased white hostility against the freedmen. They often sought security in larger communities.
During the winter of 1864–1865, Union troops built Camp Russell just north of Newtown. To quickly gather building materials, they dismantled the African-American Methodist chapel and other structures. The African-American Methodists quickly organized to rebuild their chapel. Robert Orrick (ca. 1827–1902), a former slave, owned a successful livery stable in Winchester; he gave money to the Newtown congregation. They built the current Orrick Chapel, naming it in his honor.
Reconstruction, the railroad and a name change, 1866–1899
For the next decade after the end of the Civil War, the town struggled to rebuild its economy and repair the damage caused by the war. As veterans returned and resumed work as tradesmen and merchants, the local economy did improve. In April 1867, the Virginia General Assembly granted a charter to the Winchester and Strasburg Railroad Company. The company was authorized to construct a railroad line between Winchester and Strasburg, linking Newtown-Stephensburg and Middletown with the existing Winchester & Potomac Railroad to the North and the Manassas Gap Railroad to the South. The railroads superseded the wagon-building industry, seriously diminishing the other hand-skill trades practiced in the town. Railroads brought advantages: local merchants could begin to offer goods manufactured hundreds of miles away for more affordable prices. Day travel to places like Baltimore and Washington, D.C. required less time. Agricultural products that formerly had been hauled by local farmers in wagons to stations in Winchester or Strasburg could now be dropped off locally. In large measure, the railroads helped the town to recover from the war more quickly than it would have otherwise.
Because there were nearly a dozen other places in Virginia called "Newtown", and one other community called "Stevensburg", numerous letters and packages went astray. The Postal Department in Washington, D.C informed it Newtown-Stephensburg in February 1880 it would be designated by a new postal name: Pantops. The people of the town were shocked and promptly protested. After a community meeting, the town's postmaster was sent to Washington with orders to have the former name restored. The Postal Service response was that it would consider any other name not already taken by another locality in Virginia.
After more discussion and voting, the people chose Stephens City. They needed more negotiation with the Postal Service, but finally succeeded in getting this as the official town name. To this day there are townspeople who wish to have the name of Stephensburg restored.
20th century to present
By the beginning of the 20th century, the town's economy had recovered. The region was a center of apple orchards, and its produce was sold at a great profit. A resident noted:
"The town has improved greatly in the last twenty years. Many new houses have been built and old ones renovated till they appear new. Real estate has improved in value. There are no unoccupied houses; before a house is vacated there are several applications for it. There are five general stores, viz: Trussell & Samsell, L. A. Adams, Steele & Bro., Joseph A. McCarty and Steele & Dinges, besides, there is the clothing store of John R. Adams and grocery of Edgar Lemley and two millinery stores—Mrs. Luella McCarty's and Miss Annie Shryock's—all prospering. The People's Bank has been organized, property bought and is being remodeled. It will go in operation before the close of the year."
The town had some industry, with the Stephens City Milling Company and the M. J. Grove Lime Works. The latter employed 50 to 75 men.
The town suffered in the Great Depression, as the Peoples Bank of Stephens City failed, along with other businesses. In addition, a severe fire on November 17, 1936, burned "Stephens City Station" or "Mudville", a newer section that had grown up around the railway depot. The fire began in the evaporator of the Shenandoah Vinegar and Cider Company, and resulted in destroying other major cider facilities, plus several nearby businesses. The property losses were crushing for the small town, and by then most owners did not have adequate insurance. No lives were lost.
The twentieth century brought improvements to energy and domestic systems. Electrical service was introduced in 1915, first to serve the M. J. Grove Lime Company. In 1941, just before World War II, the town installed a water system. It built a town sewer system in 1964. Prior to that time, those who had indoor flush toilets had septic tanks in their yards. Those without indoor plumbing used outhouses located on their property.
The construction of Interstate 81 during the early 1960s was the most significant factor in the town's development in the late 20th century. For more than 200 years, the road now known as U.S. Route 11 (the old Valley Turnpike or "Great Wagon Road") had been the artery that carried traffic through and to all points both northeast and southwest of town. Once Interstate 81 bypassed the town at its eastern boundary, businesses in the center of town suffered losses and declined. The new interstate has brought a different kind of growth to the area, pulling development to the outskirts and increasing access to more distant urban areas.
The M. J. Grove Lime Company operated in Stephens City through most of the twentieth century. The quarrying operation closed in 1988, after restructuring and sales to Flintkote, and later Genstar Companies. The processing plant operated by the Shen-Valley Lime Corporation finally closed in 2003. The ruins of the limekiln stand next to the railroad tracks, and the quarry is filled with water.
Recognizing the value of protecting the historic center, the town surveyed and documented its historic buildings. Most of the properties along Main, Mulberry, Green, Fairfax, Martin, Short, Germain, and Water streets in Stephens City were designated part of the Newtown-Stephensburg Historic District, which was added to the National Register of Historic Places in August 1992. New visitors have been attracted to the compact, historic center.
During the last quarter of the 20th century, developers constructed new residential subdivisions both within and outside the town boundaries to the east. This further pulled away the center of town life. The interstate changed Stephens City into a suburban community for commuters who work in major urban centers. Anticipating more growth, in 2005 the town annexed 360 acres (1.5 km) of land that had been under the jurisdiction of Frederick County, another 100 acres (0.4 km) in 2006, and 175 acres (0.7 km) in 2007.
As part of the development, new housing is being built on the land which Peter Stephens had originally settled in 1732. His house was lost by the mid-nineteenth century. When an archeological salvage survey was conducted before the modern building campaign, artifacts were found and saved from the Stephens family period of occupation.
On September 17, 2004, remnants of Hurricane Ivan spawned an F1 tornado that touched down just south of the town along Interstate 81. It caused approximately $1 million in damage and injured two people. It was one of a record 40 tornadoes to hit northern Virginia that day.
On January 8, 2008, the internet and the town of Stephens City finally met as the town's official website went online. Stephens City was the second town in the county to have an official website, Winchester being the first.
The town celebrated its bicenquinquagenary, or 250th anniversary, on September 1, 2008.
Geography
Stephens City is located at 39°4′59.45″N 78°13′5.96″W / 39.0831806°N 78.2183222°W / 39.0831806; -78.2183222Invalid arguments have been passed to the {{#coordinates:}} function (39.083181, −78.218322).Template:GR The town is between the Blue Ridge Mountains and the Appalachian Mountains in the northern Shenandoah Valley of Virginia in close proximity to West Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania. Washington, D.C. is approximately 65 miles (105 km) to the west and Baltimore is 87 miles (140 km) to the northwest.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 1.4 square miles (3.7 km²), all of it land. Natural landscape around Stephens City consists of low, rolling hills with elevations of 500 feet (150 m) to 750 feet (230 m) above sea level and rich, with mountain ridges to the south, west and east. Fertile land surrounding the town in all directions is utilized for fruit orchards, particually apple orchards, and also for other types of typical Mid-Atlantic agriculture.
Climate
Stephens City is located in the humid subtropical climate zone (Köppen climate classification: Cfa), exhibiting four distinct seasons. Its climate is typical of Mid-Atlantic U.S. areas removed from bodies of water. The town is located in plant hardiness zone 7 throughout the town and surrounding Frederick County, indicating a temperate climate. Spring and fall are warm, with low humidity, while winter is cool, with annual snowfall averaging 15.0 inches (38 cm). Average winter lows tend to be around 30 °F (−1 °C) from mid-December to mid-February. Blizzards affect Stephens City on average once every four to six years. The most violent storms are called "nor'easters", which typically feature high winds, heavy rains, and occasional snow. These storms often affect large sections of the U.S. East Coast.
Summers are hot and humid, with highs averaging in the upper 80s °F (lower 30s °C) and lows averaging in the upper 60s °F (lower 20s °C). The combination of heat and humidity in the summer brings very frequent thunderstorms, some of which occasionally produce tornadoes in the area. While hurricanes (or their remnants) occasionally track through the area in late summer and early fall, they have often weakened by the time they reach Stephens City, partly due to the city's far inland location.
The highest recorded temperature was 105 °F (41 °C) in 1988, and August 6, 1918, while the lowest recorded temperature was −18 °F (−28 °C) on 1983.
Climate data for Stephens City, Virginia | |||||||||||||
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Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
Source: The Weather Channel and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration |
Demographics
As of the U.S. censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there were 1,146 people, 500 households, and 291 families residing in the town. The 2008 estimate found 1,488 people, an increase of 29.84% from the year 2000. In 2000, population density was 112 people per square mile. The racial makeup of the town was 89.9% White, 6.5% African American, 0.4% Native American, 1.6% Asian, 1.6% from other races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.0% of the population. There were 531 males and 615 females residing in the town.
There were 500 households out of which 26.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.6% were married couples living together, 10.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 41.8% were non-families. 50.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 20.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.29 and the average family size was 2.97.
The population of the town was spread out with 23.7% under the age of 18, 8.8% from 18 to 24, 32.5% from 25 to 44, 23.8% from 45 to 64, and 11.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35.6 years.
The median income for a household in the town was $35,200, and the median income for a family was $41,827. Males had a median income of $29,432 versus $22,313 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,998.
On the 2000 Census, residents self-identified with a variety of ethnic ancestries; the major categories reflect the settlers of the 18th and early 19th century. People of German descent make up 17.6% of the population of the town, with American at 14.7%, English at 11.2%, Irish at 8.9%, Scotch-Irish at 1.8%, Dutch at 1.4%, European at 1.4%, French at 1.3%, Italian at 1.3%, Scottish at 1.0%, Norwegian at 0.7%, Swedish at 0.6%, Canadian at 0.5%, Polish at 0.4%, Slavic at 0.4%, Subsaharan African at 0.4%, Celtic at 0.2%, Czechoslovakian at 0.2%, Pennsylvania Dutch at 0.2%, Romanian at 0.2%, Slovak rounding out at 0.1%. 20.0% of the population of the town are of "other ancestries".
Culture
Town residents have access to two parks within town limits: Newtown Commons and Bel Air Street Park. Newtown Commons, sometimes called Newtown Park, is located along Main Street, and the other is on Bel Air Street.
At Newtown Commons, residents a can hold outdoor events such as picnics, fundraisers or even some small concerts. The Bel Air Street Park is a playground for kids with standard swingsets and other activities.
Just outside Stephens City is Sherando Park. The park houses several trails, ponds, a pool, sports fields and more. Sherando Park is also home of the Virginia Tech Memorial Garden. The Memorial Garden is "features a winding sidewalk shaped in the college’s trademark 'VT', a flagpole surrounded by 32 Hokie Stones". The Memorial Garden was opened on April 16, 2009.
The town is also the location of The Family Drive-In Theatre, which is located on U.S. Route 11 just south of Stephens City. The Family Drive-In Theatre is one of eight drive-ins in the state of Virginia.
Stephens City is also the location of the annual "Newtown Heritage Festival" held each Memorial Day weekend. The two-day event features many crafts, a tractor wagon ride through town, bluegrass music at Newtown Commons and a parade on Saturday.
Government
The head of Stephens City's government is Ray E. Ewing, Mayor of Stephens City, who has served since 1994 and will retire in 2010 with a new Mayor being elected on May 4, 2010.
The representative body of Stephens City is known as the Town Council, whose members include: Ronald Bowers, Linden Fravel, Michael Grim, James Harter, Joseph Hollis, and Joy Shull.
The town is also served by Police Chief Charles Bockey and Fire Chief Greg Locke, both of whom are on the town's Public Safety Committee. The town is served by five other committees which include the Administrative Committee, the Personnel Committee, the Water and Sewer Committee, the Public Works Committee, and the Finance Committee. The members of those five committees are all made up by Town Council members.
The town is also served by Town Manager Michael Kehoe, Town Treasurer Kim Uttenweiler, Town Planner Brian Henshaw, and Town Clerk Dianne MacMillan.
The town also has a Town Planning Commission, Town Historic Preservation Committee, and Town Board of Zoning Appeals, all of which are made up of elected members of the community.
Stephens City is represented by Clifford L. "Clay" Athey (R) in the Virginia House of Delegates 18th District. Jill Holtzman Vogel (R) represents the town in the Virginia Senate's 27th District. The town is represented by Frank R. Wolf (R) in the U.S. House of Representatives from Virginia's 10th district.
Education
Frederick County Public Schools operate the public schools that serve Stephens City, although none is located within Stephens City proper. The town and surrounding area are served by Bass-Hoover Elementary School, Robert E. Aylor Middle School, and Sherando High School. The latter was named for one of the historic Iroquoian-speaking tribes encountered by early European settlers to the Shenandoah Valley. All schools that serve Stephens City are within a mile of Stephens City proper.
Local private schools are also available, and are also located outside the town proper. Shenandoah Valley Christian Academy is located at the northern limits. Powhatan School is in nearby Boyce in Clarke County, Virginia. Other smaller private or Christian-based schools are located throughout Frederick County and the local area.
Transportation
Historic U.S. Route 11 traverses through Stephens City proper, while Interstate 81 serves as the eastern border of the town.
Stephens City serves as the western terminus of State Route 277, which begins at U.S. Route 11 and ends only 4.72 miles (7.60 km) away in Double Tollgate, Clarke County, Virginia at U.S. Routes 340 and 522.
A CSX rail line runs along the west side of the town limits and run north to Winchester and beyond and south to Middletown and beyond.
Plans to Move Virginia Route 277
Current plans are to move State Route 277 one half mile south of its current location. It will begin one-half mile south of its current terminus with US Route 11 to near the Drake's Family Drive In. The ending terminus will be near Lake Frederick at US Route 522 in Clarke County near the Warren County line.
The planned construction will also move the I-81 interchange at Stephens City south of town's limits to alleviate congestion on the current Route 277 bridge. Planners expect expansion of Stephens City to the south. The current bridge that crosses State Route 277 will remain.
Religion
In the 2000 Congregations and Membership in the United States study by the Glenmary Research Center, a breakdown of population of Stephens City was given as to what denomination of Christianity the residents were adherent to.
33.2% where adherent to the United Methodist Church, 13.6% were adherent to the Presbyterian Church, 9.5% were adherent to the Southern Baptist Convention, 8.1% were adherent to the Church of God, 6.5% were adherent to non-charismatic or independent churches, 5.8 were adherent to the Episcopal Church, 5.5% were adherent to the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, 5.0% were adherent to Christian Churches and Churches of Christ, 3.1% were adherent to Assemblies of God and 9.7% were adherent to another denomination altogether.
The town is served by churches of the Lutheran, United Methodist, Baptist, Mennonite, and Pentecostal denominations of Christianity. The town is also served by a Unitarian Universalism church. The town is also served by other churches outside of the town limits.
Notable residents
- Timothy T. O'Donnell – Author and current professor and president of Christendom College.
- Kelley Washington – Professional football player in the National Football League, last with the Baltimore Ravens.
References
- ^ "Town Council". Town of Stephens City, Virginia. Retrieved 2010-03-24.
- ^ "Who's My Legislator?". Commonwealth of Virginia. 2010-03-24. Retrieved 2010-03-24.
- "22655 Zip Code Detailed Profile". City-Data.com. Retrieved 2010-03-23.
- "Stephens City town, Virginia – Population Finder". U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved 2007-11-17.
- "Doctor Peterson" (2001-07-01). "Word for a 225th Birthday". The Math Forum. Retrieved 2010-03-24.
- ^ "National Register of Historic Places Registration Form" (PDF). United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved 2008-10-04.
- "Establishment of the Winchester – Frederick County ("Win-Fred") Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO)". Win-Fred MPO. Retrieved 2010-04-02.
- David Hackett Fischer, Albion's Seed: Four British Folkways in America, New York: Oxford University Press, 1989, pp.605-608
- ^ Smith, Byron C. "Town History". Newtown History Center in Stephens City, Virginia (released under the GFDL). Retrieved 2007-11-17.
- ^ Bly, Daniel W. (2002). "From the Rhine to the Shenandoah: Eighteenth Century Swiss & German Pioneer Families In the Central Shenandoah Valley of Virginia And their European Origins, vol. 3, Brumbach-Brumback, Coffelt, Foltz, Hockman, Hoover, Niswander-Niswanger, Stephens, Wakeman, Zehring, pp. 171-200". Baltimore: Gateway Press.
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(help) - ^ Hofstra, Warren R. (2004). "The Planting of New Virginia: Settlement and Landscape in the Shenandoah Valley, pages 145-54". Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press.
{{cite web}}
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(help) - ^ Brown, Stuart E. (1965). "Virginia Baron: The Story of Thomas 6th Lord Fairfax, pages 35-123, 148-9". Berryville, Virginia: Chesapeake Book Company.
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(help) - Bivins, John. ""Isaac Zane and the Products of Marlboro Furnace"". Journal of Early Southern Decorative Arts 11:1 (May 1985): 14–65.
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(help) - ^ Fithian, Philip V. "Journal, 1775–1776 – Written on the Virginia-Pennsylvania Frontier and in the Army Around New York". Princeton University Press, 1934.
{{cite web}}
: Missing or empty|url=
(help) - 1820 Federal Manufacturers' Census, Frederick County, Virginia
- Joseph Martin, A New and Comprehensive Gazetteer of Virginia and the District of Columbia, (1835)
- Henry Howe, Historical Collections of Virginia (1845)
- Major J. M. McCue, "Wagonmaking", The Industrial South, 1885
- Franklin, John Hope and Schweninger, Loren. "Run Away Slaves, Rebels on the Plantation". New York: Oxford University Press, 1999.
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(help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Fravel, Linden A. "Between the Lines: The Civil War Diaries, Letters and Memoirs of the Steele Family of Newtown/Stephens City, Va., 1861 to 1864". Unknown.
{{cite web}}
: Missing or empty|url=
(help) - ^ Steele, Inez Virginia. "Early Days and Methodism in Stephens City, Virginia, 1732–1905". Geo. F. Norton Publishing Company, 1906. Reprint: Commercial Press, Inc., 1994.
{{cite web}}
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(help) - ^ Wine, J. Floyd. "Frederick County Post Offices, Past and Present". Winchester Frederick County Historical Society Journal 2 (1987): 43–96.
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(help) - "Map of Newtown-Stephensburg Historic District" (PDF). Virginia Department of Historic Resources. Retrieved 2010-03-24.
- "Hurricane Ivan's Tornado Bands Wreak Havoc in Northern Virginia". American Wood Council. Retrieved 2007-11-24.
- "National Weather Service Baltimore/Washington". National Weather Service Baltimore/Washington. 2004-10-20. Retrieved 2010-03-26.
- "Storm Data and Unusual Weather Phenomena" (PDF). National Weather Service Baltimore/Washington. 2004-09. Retrieved 2010-03-26.
{{cite web}}
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(help) - Watson, Barbara McNaught (7 January 2008). "Virginia Tornadoes". VAEmergency.com. Virginia Department of Emergency Management. Retrieved 6 April 2010.
Sept. 17, 2004: "Ivan" spawned 29 F0/F1 tornadoes, 10 strong F2 tornadoes and one strong F3 tornado
- Burchard, Jessica J. "Stephens City enters cyberspace". The Winchester Star/winchesterstar.com. Retrieved 2008-01-09.
- "World Map of the Köppen-Geiger climate classification updated". University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna. 2008-11-06. Retrieved 2010-03-23.
- "Hardiness Zones". Arbor Day Foundation. 2006. Retrieved 2010-03-23.
- ^ McNaught Watson, Barbara (2005-12-30). "Virginia Winters". National Weather Service – Weather Forecast Office Baltimore/Washington. Retrieved 2010-03-23.
- ^ "Monthly Averages for Stephens City, VA". The Weather Channel Interactive, Inc. 2010-03-23. Retrieved 2010-03-23.
- "Monthly Averages for Stephens City, VA". The Weather Channel Interactive, Inc. 2010. Retrieved 2010-03-23.
- "Climatography of the United States No. 81 (1971–2000)" (PDF). National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. 2002-02. Retrieved 2010-03-23.
{{cite web}}
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(help) - ^ "DP-1. Profile of General Demographic Characteristics: 2000". United States Census Bureau. 2000-12. Retrieved 2010-03-24.
{{cite web}}
: Check date values in:|date=
(help) - "Population Finder". United States Census Bureau. 2000. Retrieved 2010-03-24.
- "TM-P002. Persons per Square Mile: 2000". United States Census Bureau. 2000-12. Retrieved 2010-03-24.
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ignored (help) - "QT-P1. Age Groups and Sex: 2000". United States Census Bureau. 2000-12. Retrieved 2010-03-26.
{{cite web}}
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(help) - "DP-3. Profile of Selected Economic Characteristics: 2000". United States Census Bureau. 2000-12. Retrieved 2010-03-26.
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(help) - "QT-P13. Ancestry: 2000". United States Census Bureau. 2000-12. Retrieved 2010-04-07.
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(help) - ^ "Frequently Asked Questions". Town of Stephens City. Retrieved 2010-04-06.
- "Parks and Recreation - Sherando Park". Frederick County, Virginia Parks and Recreation. Retrieved 2010-04-12.
- ^ "Chapter Highlight: Shenandoah Garden". Virginia Tech Alumni Association. 2009-08. Retrieved 2010-04-12.
{{cite web}}
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(help) - "Memorial Garden". Shenandoah Chapter - Virginia Tech Alumni Association. Retrieved 2010-04-12.
- "Family Drive-In Theatre". Family Drive-In Theatre. 2010-02-06. Retrieved 2010-03-26.
- "Drive-ins in Virginia". DriveInMovie.com. Retrieved 2010-03-25.
- "Drive-In List". DriveInTheater.com. Retrieved 2010-03-25.
- "Newtown Heritage Festival". Town of Stephens City. Retrieved 2010-03-26.
- "Stephens City Newsletter, Volume 29, Issue 1, January and February 2010" (PDF). Town of Stephens City, Virginia. 2001-10-20. Retrieved 2010-03-24.
- Williams, J. R. (2010-03-04). "Ballots set for Stephens City, Middletown elections". Northern Virginia Daily. Retrieved 2010-04-21.
- "Town Manager: Michael K. Kehoe". Town of Stephens City, Virginia. Retrieved 2010-04-21.
- "Town Treasurer: Kim S. Uttenweiler". Town of Stephens City, Virginia. Retrieved 2010-04-21.
- "Town Planner: Brian P. Henshaw". Town of Stephens City, Virginia. Retrieved 2010-04-21.
- "Town Clerk: Dianne L. MacMillan, CMC". Town of Stephens City, Virginia. Retrieved 2010-04-21.
- "Bass-Hoover Elementary School". Frederick County Public Schools. Retrieved 2010-04-06.
- "Robert E. Aylor Middle School". Frederick County Public Schools. Retrieved 2010-04-06.
- "Sherando High School". Frederick County Public Schools. Retrieved 2010-04-06.
- "Directions/Map". Shenandoah Valley Christian Academy. Retrieved 2010-04-06.
- "Directions". Powhatan School. Retrieved 2010-04-06.
- "Welcome to the Frederick County Interactive Mapping Website". Frederick County Information Technologies GIS Division. Retrieved 2010-03-26.
- "VA 261 to 280". Adam Froehlig and Mike Roberson. 2008-10-30. Retrieved 2010-03-26.
- "Interactive CSX System Map". CSX Corporation, Inc. Retrieved 2010-04-05.
- ^ "Route 277 Triangle & Urban Center Study: Proposed Transportation Study & Trail Network - FINAL". Frederick County (Virginia) Department of Planning and Development. Retrieved 2008-10-10.
- ^ Jones, Dale E. (2000). "Congregations and Membership in the United States". Glenmary Research Center.
{{cite web}}
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(help) - ^ "Religion statistics for Stephens City". City-Data.com. Retrieved 2010-04-06.
- "Schools and Churches". Town of Stephens City. Retrieved 2010-04-06.
- "Where is the UUCSV?". Unitarian Universalist Church of the Shenandoah Valley. Retrieved 2010-04-06.
- "The Undergraduate Faculty". Christendom College. Retrieved 2010-03-26.
- "Kelley Washington WR #15". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved 2010-04-04.
Further reading
- Bly, Daniel W. From the Rhine to the Shenandoah, Eighteenth Century Swiss & German Pioneer Families In the Central Shenandoah Valley of Virginia And their European Origins, Baltimore, Maryland: Gateway Press, Inc., 2002.
- Brown, Stuart E. Virginia Baron, The Story of Thomas 6th Lord Fairfax, Berryville, Virginia: Chesapeake Book Company, 1965.
- Cartmell, T. K. Shenandoah Valley Pioneers and Their Descendants, A History of Frederick County, Virginia, Winchester, Virginia: Eddy Press Corporation, 1909, reprint, Berryville, VA: Chesapeake Book Company, 1963.
- Dandridge, Danske. Historic Shepherdstown, Charlottesville, Virginia: The Michie Company, Printers, 1910, reprint, Shepherdstown, West Virginia: Specialty Binding & Printing Co., 1985.
- Frederick County Deed Book 30, pages 53–54. Frederick County Judicial Center, Winchester, Virginia.
- Kercheval, Samuel. A History of the Valley of Virginia, Sixth Edition (Third Printing—Fourth Edition). Harrisonburg, Virginia: C.J. Carrier Company, 1981.
- Smith, Byron C. “The Minnick-Zirkle Newtown Wagon: Its Rediscovery and Attribution,” Winchester Frederick County Historical Society Journal, 18 (2006): 39–61.
External links
- Official Website of the Town of Stephens City
- Newtown History Center
- Family Drive-In of Stephens City
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