• Home
  • About the Foundation
    • Volunteer Opportunities and Jobs
    • Donate Now
  • Visiting the Museum
  • Stone House Restoration Project
    • History of Ownership
    • Hybrid Drawings
    • Dendrochronology Study of the Log Addition
    • Behind the Plaster
    • Archeology
    • Progress Updates
  • Town History
    • Beginnings, 1732-1783
    • Growth, 1784-1860
    • Civil War, 1861-1865
    • Reconstruction, the Railroad and a Name Change, 1866-1899
    • The Twentieth Century and Today
    • People of Our Past
    • Primary and Secondary Sources Consulted
  • Publications
    • Images of America: Stephens City
    • Two Peoples, One Community: The African American Experience in Newtown (Stephens City), Virginia, 1850-1870
    • History of Orrick Chapel Methodist Church
    • Early Days and Methodism in Stephens City, Virginia
    • Life of a Potter, Andrew Pitman
  • Educational Programming
    • Old Tools as Simple Machines
    • The Great Wagon Road and Westward Expansion
    • Objects as Primary Sources: Historical Detective Work
  • Virtual Exhibits
    • Pandemics in New Town
      • The Worst First: Novel Plagues Hit America (1492-1758)
      • Running to the Hill: Smallpox and Sanitation in Colonial Times (1758-1760)
      • Another Scourge Among Many: Epidemics in the Civil War (1861-1865)
      • The Spanish Flu: The Story of Gervis Lemley (1918-1919)
      • It Didn’t Fade: Mildred Lee Grove and Tuberculosis (1930s-Late Twentieth Century)
  • Event Calendar
  • Related Sites & Institutions
  • Membership
    • Membership Application/Renewal
  • Contact Us
  • Try Our Tour App

Newtown History Center

Explore the 2nd Oldest Town in the Shenandoah Valley

Town History

The town of Stephens City has a long history spanning over two and a half centuries.  From its beginnings in the 1730s and through the French and Indian War, the Revolutionary War and the Civil War, the town and its inhabitants witnessed and participated in events of national significance.  After the Civil War into the twentieth century the town suffered through a forced name change and economic hardships associated with the general advancements in transportation technology.  Today the town faces unprecedented growth along with other towns in the Northern Shenandoah Valley.  Please click on the links below to read about the various eras of the town’s story.  These pages are for those who are seeking a concise but thorough historical account of the history of Stephens City.  If you have more specific questions, please contact us and we will be happy to try and answer them for you.

Beginnings, 1732-1783

Growth, 1784-1860

Civil War, 1861-1865

Reconstruction, the Railroad and a Name Change, 1866-1899

The Twentieth Century and Today

Primary and Secondary Sources Consulted

Stone House Restoration Project Progress Updates

  • The Preservation Trades Challenge
  • The Last of the Shingles Have Arrived!
  • The People in Mr. Gainer’s Painting
  • Town History
  • Beginnings, 1732-1783
  • Growth, 1784-1860
  • Civil War, 1861-1865
  • Reconstruction, the Railroad and a Name Change, 1866-1899
  • The Twentieth Century and Today
  • People of Our Past
  • Primary and Secondary Sources Consulted

Upcoming Events

What We Do

With the town of Stephens City as its focus, the Foundation seeks to interest and engage residents, visitors, scholars and students in the events, lifeways and material culture of the region. We also strive to promote the preservation of the buildings, artifacts and landscapes that are associated with the history of the town of Stephens City.

Current Hours of Operation

For current hours of operation please click here.

History Center Location

PO Box 143 (USPS Mail)
5408 Main Street (FedEx/UPS Deliveries)
Stephens City, VA 22655-0143

Phone: (540) 869-1700
E-mail: info@newtownhistorycenter.org

More Information

Copyright © 2023 Newtown History Center