 Stephens
City Virginia History
Stephens City VA can trace its
beginnings all the way back to the
1730’s when a German immigrant named
Peter Stephens built a home on land that
would eventually become part of Southern
Stephens City. The city was first
chartered in 1758 as “Stephensburgh”.
The “H” was later dropped by the largely
German population. Tradition says that
Stephensburg was originally intended to
be the county seat of Frederick County,
but that the proprietor of Winchester
apparently gave one of the justices a
bowl of spiked punch which secured his
vote in favor of Winchester.
Stephens City, or Stephensburg as it was
known at the time, survived through the
Revolutionary War, but lost many of its
sons in the struggle for American
Independence. After the Revolution, the
town’s population grew, and by the
1790’s the town had to expand its
borders. The town saw battle once again
during the Civil War. The town was
fortunate in that the majority of the
battles and skirmishes took place
outside of the town and did not pose a
threat to the residents of Stephensburg,
however due to an incident on May 23 of
1864 the town was almost destroyed
entirely. Confederate sympathizers from
Maryland had fired on a Federal wagon
train as they rode through town. In the
events and confusion that followed,
Union General David Hunter ordered the
town be burned in retaliation for
several attacks, including a raid
carried out by Confederate soldiers on a
wagon train just south of the town. When
Major Joseph Stearns of the New York
Cavalry arrived to Stephens City to
carry out the General’s orders he was
met by citizens of the town pleading
their innocence, as well as children
standing in the doorways of their homes.
While compassion undoubtedly played a
role in Stearns’ decision to disobey
orders, he did require residents take an
oath of allegiance to the Union. Because
of Stearns’ decision, many of these
historic buildings still stand today in
Stephens City.
 Stephens
City has continued to grow since
reconstruction after the Civil War, and
today enjoys a thriving economy as well
as a rich history. The Newtown Heritage
Festival is one of many events held in
Stephens City, and occurs annually on
Memorial Day Weekend. The two-day event
features a wide variety of crafts,
bluegrass music, a parade, and tractor
wagon rides through the town.
Because of the town’s rich history,
Stephens City VA Real Estate is becoming
more sought after every day. If you’re
interested in relocating to Historic
Stephens City, give Paul Loveless a call.
Paul is a Buyer's Shenandoah Valley Real
Estate agent, and can
help you find New Homes in Stephens City
VA. No one knows Shenandoah Valley Real
Estate Market Trends like Paul loveless.
| For more information on the
Stephens City area, please
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Winchester and the surrounding
areas, please click on the
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If you have any questions or would like
more information, please call us at
540.955.0730 or send an email to
paul@paulloveless.com.
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