St. James’ Episcopal Church and Shelburne Parish trace their history in Loudoun County back to the 1700s.
The first church in Loudoun County called the “Chapel of Ease for the comfort of the people above the Goose Creek,” was built in 1733. In 1812, a building was erected on Church Street, and services were held there for 83 years. Construction of a columbarium was completed in 2011 on this site. In 1895, the cornerstone was laid for the present building. The first service was held in 1897, and the church was consecrated in 1905. The building was damaged extensively by a fire in 1929. Fortunately, because of the thick stone walls, the basic structure withstood the flames, and the Nave was restored to its present form. St. James’ Church has been expanded several times. The addition of the Fellowship Hall occurred in 1931 and was extended in the 1950s. In 1972, the Janney House was remodeled and connected to the church by the construction of a stone and glass arcade. The masonry restoration team concluded phase 1 in the fall of 2023. The scope of work for phase 1 involved environmental washdown, installation of stainless-steel helical stitching, repairs to structural cracks, removal and replacement of veneer stone, coping, arch stone, repairing brownstone with historical matrix repair mortars, and more. The second phase is now in progress, with a scope consisting of: caulking at the exterior windows, doors, repointing of the brick chimney, removal and replacement of damaged brick at the chimney, and installing a coating system after repairs are complete on the chimney cap. To learn more about the beautiful history of the St. James Church, please visit:
