History of St. John's
Episcopalians have been worshipping in the vicinity of St. John's for nearly two and a half centuries. Our forerunner was Rocky Run Chapel build in 1746 where Braddock Road crosses great Rocky Run just west of Rt. 28. At that time, the community that has become Centreville was known as Newgate, and the congregation was part of the Church of England. The fate of that chapel is unknown, but it presumably was lost in a fire.
The white, Carpenter-Gothic-style church we know today, stands on the original foundation, encircled by the quiet beauty of boxwoods, maple trees, and the venerable cemetery. Today's busy traffic at the junctions of Routes 28 and 29 passes nearby. The beauty of St. John's masks the struggles it has endured throughout its history. St. John's is a survivor, built during trying times with meager funds and at great personal sacrifice.
St. John's was built on its present site in the mid-19th century. It was consecrated on July 14, 1850, and like many country churches of its day, it was simply furnished. During the war, Confederate and Union troops surged back and forth through Centreville. For a time the church served as a battlefield hospital. In 1862, St. John's was used as a Confederate encampment. Most of the trees surrounding the church were destroyed by the 40,000 Confederate troops who wintered there, in order to build fires and erect hutments.
The ravages of war nearly ruined Centreville. The little church was partially burned about 1863. It was rebuilt on the same foundation and consecrated in 1872. St. John's was closed for long periods of time afterward. Services were held only intermittently. For several years St. John's was served by seminary students from the Virginia Seminary in Alexandria or by visiting priests. Electricity was added in 1939. In 1954 it became an active Episcopal mission, and a parish hall was added. In January 1969, St. John's was granted parish status. St. John's has struggled, but survived, and is now a vibrant, strong, and more beautiful church with a new parish hall and plans for a new church.
With God's help, the present congregation will follow the lead of its predecessors and continue to maintain a church dedicated to God's work in the parish, the community, and the world.