There are many historic churches in the Northern Shenandoah Valley. Here are a few that stand out.

Clarke County:

• There are three inactive historic churches: Old Chapel, off U.S. 340 at U.S. 255, built in the 1780s; Wickliffe Episcopal Church, a daughter of Old Chapel, built in 1846 in the northern part of county; and Old Bethel Baptist Church, south of Millwood, built in 1833 on the site of an old Quaker church. 955-2608

Frederick County/Winchester:

• Christ Episcopal Church, at 114 W. Boscawen St., holds the grave of Lord Fairfax in its east courtyard. Lord Fairfax came to America to oversee more than 5 million acres, including Frederick County, that he inherited from his mother. Construction of the church at this site began in 1828 and was completed several years later. The previous church was built in the late 1740s -- a wooden building situated on the corner of Boscawen and Loudoun streets. www.christchurchwinchester.org


• Old Stone Presbyterian Church, at 304 E. Piccadilly St., was built in 1788 and used as a church until 1834. Daniel Morgan was a member of this church. From 1834 through 1879, it was used by the Baptist Church of Winchester and was once the School Baptist Church of Color. During the Civil War, it housed Union troops and their horses. In 1876, it became the first public school for black children in Winchester. Restoration of the building was completed in 1950 by the Presbyterian church.


• Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church, at 26 W. Boscawen St., was built by German Lutherans after they received a grant from Lord Fairfax in 1753. It was used by both Confederate and Union forces during the Civil War, and the original church was destroyed by fire. www.gracewin.org


• First Presbyterian Church, at 116 S. Loudoun St., began in 1788 when people started worshipping at the Old Stone Church at the corner of East Piccadilly Street and East Lane. In 1800, Winchester Presbytery organized the congregation at Old Stone as Presbyterian Church. Daniel Morgan's wife was an organizing member. www.firstchurch-winchester.org


• Opequon Presbyterian Church, at 217 Opequon Church Lane, off U.S. 11 near Kernstown, was built in 1736. The original stone building was constructed in 1790 and burned in 1873. It was rebuilt and dedicated on the same foundation with many of the same stones in 1897.


• Hopewell Friends Meeting House, one mile west of Clearbrook, was constructed of logs in 1734, destroyed by fire and rebuilt of stone in 1759. It was the first Quaker meeting place established in the valley. www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~quakers/hopewell.htm, http://hopecentre.quaker.org

Shenandoah County:

• Emmanuel Lutheran Church, at 155 E. Lee St. in New Market, was built in 1848 after a split from Reformation Evangelical Lutheran Church, which has roots going back to the 1700s. In 1932, the two congregations reunited and now worship as Reformation Lutheran Church, at 9283 Congress St. www.reformnmva.org/history.asp


• The Manor Memorial Methodist Church, at 9320 Congress St. in New Market, formed around 1800 and was organized as the Methodist Episcopal Church in 1831.


• The Union Church, on South Main Street in Mt. Jackson, was established around 1821 and used as a hospital during the Civil War. Always having been nondenominational, the church has been used by many congregations, and its care is handled by a board of trustees. Signatures of soldiers are on the church's interior walls.


• Strasburg Christian Church, at 165 High St., was founded in 1856, though meetings of the congregation were held as early as 1808 at the homes of members. www.strasburgchristian.org


• Strasburg Presbyterian Church, at 325 S. Holliday St., was built in 1826 and was used as a hospital during the Civil War.


• St. Paul's United Church of Christ, at 235 S. Main St., Woodstock, may be the oldest congregation in this part of the Shenandoah Valley. In 1748, after German settlers had already been gathering occasionally for worship, the Rev. Michael Schlatter visited Muellerstadt (now Woodstock), and preached. The first structure was built in the 1770s, and the present church built in 1869. www.woodstockucc.com/StPauls/index.htm


• Mt. Calvary United Church of Christ, at 1299 Sheetz Mill Road, Woodstock, was dedicated in 1854.


• • Emmanuel Lutheran Church, at 127 E. High St., Woodstock, has a history dating back to the 1770s. The original church stood until 1848, when it apparently had to be torn down because it interfered with traffic. The logs were sold to build a home at the northwest corner of Locust and Main streets.


• Edinburg Christian Church, at 210 Center St., broke ground in 1856, though the congregation first met 20 years earlier. A lack of funds prevented the church from being finished until after the Civil War, in 1869. The church was originally constructed with two doors in front -- one for men, one for women. www.edinburgcc.bravehost.com

Warren County:

• Asbury Chapel, four miles south of Front Royal on U.S. 340, was built in 1848 and is where Gen. Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson stopped in advance of his 16,000-man army to find a route concealed from his Union enemies. During the war, the congregation met irregularly, and the church was used as a hospital. In 1916, the building was dismantled, revealing bloodstained floorboards. www.frontroyalbattle.us/asbury.html


• St. John the Baptist Roman Catholic Church, at 120 W. Main St., was dedicated in 1884 and built with the support of the family of John Carrell Jenkins, a Maryland soldier who died for the Confederacy during the Civil War. www.sjtb.org


• Williams Chapel CME Church, at 231 Chester St., was used during the Civil War as a storage area for courthouse documents. 636-1700