History of St. Paul's Church

St. Paul's Church building has had a varied history. Completed in 1801, the church building itself was originally the District courthouse for Fairfax, Fauquier, Loudoun and Prince William counties. St. Paul’s was founded as a church in 1832, about 50 years after the close of the American Revolution, and is the oldest church in continuous use in Prince William County.

During the Civil War, Union and Confederate soldiers clashed nearby at the first and second battles of Manassas. Wounded Confederate soldiers were provided medical care inside the church and many were buried on the south side of the church in an unmarked grave. Union troops were buried on the northern side of the church and later reburied at Arlington National Cemetery. Later in the war, Union troops burnt the town of Haymarket and stabled their horses in the church.

After the Civil War, the church was restored. A rectory and a parish hall were added in the early 1900s. Rectors occupied the rectory until 2002 when the current Rector, the Reverend David N. Jones, elected to live in a nearby neighborhood. Within the last 10 years, a home next to the rectory called the Meade House was purchased by the church. 

All of these buildings — including the church — have undergone renovation in recent years. Currently, the rectory is used for administrative offices, a nursery, and meeting space. The former parish hall, within walking distance from the church, is now home to St. Paul’s Christian School (est. in 2008). The Meade House is currently rented to a family.

In 2009, parish leaders launched a capital campaign, to improve church properties and to add a new multi-purpose structure in the next five to ten years.  This new structure would be a two-story facility that will house our nursery, administrative offices, and school. Here we will be able to have a nursery closer to the worship space. Children, youth and adults will have space for study.  And there will be room for large parish fellowship gatherings and activities.

About St. Paul's  •   History of St. Paul's  •   History of Anglicism  •   Our American Christian Heritage