Elk Run Church Historic Site and Museum

Built in the 1750s, the Elk Run (Anglican) Church was the first brick church in Fauquier County. Laid-out as a Greek cross, with all the side extensions roughly the same size. This floor-plan is also seen in Aquia and Abingdon, where two other pre-Revolutionary Anglican churches exist. To learn more about the history of the area and the church, click here.

Preservation efforts began in 1998, when a neighbor, tired of trash and debris next door, started clearing the brush off the 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.

In 1999, the Elk Run Anglican Church Site Preservation Committee embarked on an archaeological quest to discover and uncover the foundation of the 1750s Anglican Church at Elk Run. A total of 129 volunteers provided over 5,803 hours of service between 1999 and 2006. See Archaeological Report.

"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

Conversion of the archaeological site to an historical park started in November 2006 with the construction of a museum over an excavated segment of the old Church foundation. Completed in August 2010, a dedication ceremony for the new museum was held on November 14, 2010, and a short church service was conducted within the church foundation for the first time in over 200 years.  See Documentary Video

Around 1,631 volunteer hours were needed from late 2006 until the end of 2010 to complete the construction of the museum and related supporting activities. See Detailed Report on the Establishment of the Elk Run Museum.

The museum details the history of the area (Native Americans and European settlers), the church and its first Minister, Rev. James Keith, grandfather of Chief Justice John Marshall, and the seven year archaeological effort, and its conversion to a historic park. A 100 ft. by 100 ft. cemetery adjacent to the church was graciously donated by the Patton family in 2010 and was added to the park. See Elk Run Church Museum