About:
Elk Run Anglican Church
Site Preservation & Historic Park
Join us on an exciting project of historical significance! We are exploring 250-year-old property in Fauquier County, Virginia - the first Anglican Church in the county!
It all began in 1998, when a neighbor, tired of trash and debris next door, started clearing the brush off an abandoned plot of land. Less than a year later, Fauquier County’s mid-1700s frontier church emerged, one brick at a time. To learn more about how the project developed, click here.
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We are awed by what is being revealed at Elk Run. When we took possession of the site in 1999, it was simply a vacant lot with bits of old brick lying about. We had no knowledge or assurance that anything lay below the surface, nor could we be certain that the church was actually located there.
— Edward F. Dandar Jr., Chairman, Preservation Committee
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The church, built in the 1750s, is the first brick church in Fauquier County and uniquely laid-out as a Greek cross, with all side extensions roughly the same size. This floor-plan is also visible in Aquia and Abingdon, where two other pre-Revolutionary Anglican churches exist. To learn more about the history of the church, click here.
A preservation committee led by St. Stephen’s Church in Catlett, in collaboration with St. James’ Church in Warrenton, is working to achieve the dream of Mr. Edward Parry Browning III, who deeded the 100-foot square lot to St. Stephen’s in June 1999. Sadly, Mr. Browning died only 2 months after the deed, but his dream will still become a reality. To learn more about Mr. Edward Parry Browning III, click here.
The whole project has seven parts:
- Survey the site (which was completed in mid-1999)
- Conduct research (which is ongoing)
- Establish a parking area (which was completed on November 10, 1999)
- Erect a Virginia historic marker (which was completed on October 21, 2000 with a ceremony on the Church Site, along with the installation of the first Interpretative Sign on the Elk Run Village.)
- Excavate the church foundation (Archaeology Volunteers have uncovered the entire Greek-cross foundation structure and have explored the area within the foundation through a total of 54 excavations. Archaeological fieldwork was completed on October 1, 2006.)
- Convert the “Dig site” to a Historic Park through landscaping by:
- Outlining the original foundation on the surface with Colonial-style bricks,
- Building a protective shelter over a corner of the foundation for year-round viewing,
- Placing archaeological and cemetery information interpretative signs for visitors,
- Installing split-rail fencing for cordoning the parking area,
- Placing benches for visitors to rest and meditate, and
- Planting shrubbery.
- Publish a booklet on the village of Elk Run and the first church (the research is ongoing; a draft Table of Contents has been developed)
The archeological work is lead by one professional archeologist Dr. John Eddins and consists of amateur diggers from the area - all volunteering their time to work on this project. Between April 2000 and June 2002, 34 controlled excavation unites were dug, revealing the whole church foundation and many artifacts. To learn more about the archeological work, click here.
Belief that a cemetery existed in the land next-door was confirmed in December 2000, when the first grave was discovered. Since then, Pete Petrone came to Elk Run and conducted remote sensing to determine the cemetery boundaries, possible positions of burials within the cemetery, and areas that might have further archaeological significance. To learn more about the cemetery, click here.
Be sure to explore the rest of the site to learn all about the Elk Run Church and the Elk Run village. Plus, the project always needs more help! To learn more about the volunteers and how you can help, click here.
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Our Goal is to preserve the 1750s Elk Run Anglican Church site and its history so future generations will have knowledge of its past and an appreciation of our forefathers’ contributions to the settlement of Fauquier County.