The Newtown–Stephensburg Historic District is located in the central section of
Stephens City, Virginia
Stephens City ( ) is an List of towns in Virginia, incorporated town in the southern part of Frederick County, Virginia, United States, with a population of 2,016 at the time of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, and an estimated po ...
along
U.S. Route 11
U.S. Route 11 or U.S. Highway 11 (US 11) is a major north–south United States Numbered Highway extending across the eastern U.S. The southern terminus of the route is at US 90 in Bayou Sauvage National Wildlife Refu ...
from the far northern to the far southern boundaries of the town and from just east of Green Hill Cemetery to just west of the interchange of
State Route 277 and
Interstate 81
Interstate 81 (I-81) is a north–south (physically northeast–southwest) Interstate Highway in the eastern part of the United States. Its southern terminus is at Interstate 40, I-40 in Dandridge, Tennessee, Dandridge, Tennessee; its nort ...
.
It is a
historic district
A historic district or heritage district is a section of a city which contains historic building, older buildings considered valuable for historical or architectural reasons. In some countries or jurisdictions, historic districts receive legal p ...
that includes 143
contributing buildings
In the law regulating historic districts in the United States, a contributing property or contributing resource is any building, object, or structure which adds to the historical integrity or architectural qualities that make the historic dist ...
and 4 additional
contributing sites
In the law regulating historic districts in the United States, a contributing property or contributing resource is any building, object, or structure which adds to the historical integrity or architectural qualities that make the historic distr ...
.
[
]
History
The area that makes up the Newtown–Stephensburg Historic District was originally settled in 1734 by German settler Peter Stephens. Stephens travelled from Pennsylvania with Joist Hite in 1732. Hite's grandson, Issac Hite, Jr. would later build the Belle Grove Plantation in nearby Middletown, Virginia
Middletown is a town in Frederick County, Virginia, United States, in the northern Shenandoah Valley. The population was 1,265 at the 2010 census, up from 1,015 at the 2000 census.
History
Middletown was chartered on May 4, 1796. Some of th ...
.Shenandoah Valley
The Shenandoah Valley () is a geographic valley and cultural region of western Virginia and the eastern panhandle of West Virginia in the United States. The Valley is bounded to the east by the Blue Ridge Mountains, to the west by the east ...
(behind nearby Winchester, Virginia
Winchester is the northwesternmost Administrative divisions of Virginia#Independent cities, independent city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia, United States. It is the county seat of Frederick County, Virginia, Frederi ...
). Since its beginnings, the town would be a commercial hub along the "Great Philadelphia Wagon Road" (what is now today U.S. Route 11
U.S. Route 11 or U.S. Highway 11 (US 11) is a major north–south United States Numbered Highway extending across the eastern U.S. The southern terminus of the route is at US 90 in Bayou Sauvage National Wildlife Refu ...
) and the "Old Dutch Wagon Road" (what is today State Route 277). Because Routes 11 and 277 were two very heavily traveled arteries through the 19th and 20th centuries, the town's businesses oriented towards transportation from the nationally known "Newtown Wagon" companies for the 1800s to today numerous service centers and eateries.
See also
* National Register of Historic Places in Frederick County, Virginia
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Newtown-Stephensburg Historic District
Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Virginia
Stephens City, Virginia
Geography of Frederick County, Virginia
Georgian architecture in Virginia
Tourist attractions in Frederick County, Virginia
National Register of Historic Places in Frederick County, Virginia