Stephens City, Virginia

Stephens City, Virginia is a town in Frederick County, Virginia. The town had a population of 1,146 at the time of the 2000 census.

Stephens City, Virginia
Incorporated town
Stephens City, Virginia
Location in the United States
Coordinates: 39°4′59.45″N 78°13′5.96″W
CountryUnited States
StateVirginia
CountyFrederick
FoundedOctober 12, 1758
Founded byLewis Stephens
Named forThe Stephens Family
Government
  MayorMike Grim[1]
  Town Council
Council members
  DelegateMark Berg (R)
  VA SenateJill Holtzman Vogel (R)
  U.S. CongressBarbara Comstock (R)
Area
  Total1.4 sq mi (4 km2)
  Land1.4 sq mi (4 km2)
  Water0 sq mi (0 km2)
Elevation
764 ft (233 m)
Population
 (2010)
  Total1,829
  Estimate 
(2014)
1,921
Demonym(s)Stephens Citian
Time zoneUTC−5 (EST)
  Summer (DST)UTC−4 (EDT)
ZIP code
22655[2]
Area code(s)540
FIPS code51-75344[3]
GNIS feature ID1500159[4]
Websitestephenscity.vi.virginia.gov

History

The German Protestants from Heidelberg, Germany were the founders of the town. Their leader was Peter Stephens. He came from Pennsylvania in 1732. Stephens would buy some land from Thomas Fairfax, 6th Lord Fairfax of Cameron. The land was set out in parcels at first. Later, it was made into "Stephensburgh" in 1758 by Peter's son Lewis.[5]

By the start of the Revolutionary War, "Stephensburg" was often called simply "Newtown".[5]

The town was almost burned by Union forces during the Civil War. This was when Union forces were attacked by Newtown residents. Major Joseph K. Stearns of the 1st New York Cavalry disobeyed an order from a higher ranking General and saved the town.[5]

The town was again renamed "Stephens City" in 1880. This happened after a row with the United States Postal Service.[5]

Today, the town is a busy place of throughfare with Interstate 81 and US Route 11. The center of the town is recognized by the National Register of Historic Places.[6]

References

  1. "Town of Stephens City". Town of Stephens City. Retrieved April 26, 2015.
  2. "Look Up a ZIP Code". United States Postal Service. Retrieved November 10, 2013.
  3. "Geographic Identifiers - 2010 Demographic Profile Data". United States Census Bureau. 2010. Archived from the original on December 21, 2014. Retrieved September 4, 2014.
  4. "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. October 25, 2007. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
  5. Smith, Byron C. "Town History". Newtown History Center in Stephens City, Virginia. Archived from the original on 2008-06-11. Retrieved 2007-11-17.
  6. "National Register of Historic Places Registration Form" (PDF). United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved 2008-10-04.

Other websites



This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.