The Union Church and Cemetery

The year was 1825.
     This was the date believed to be when the little church was built. And its building is attributed to the efforts of Mrs. William (Elizabeth) Steenbergen. It was also two years prior to the death of Reuben Moore and the probation of his will. The cemetery, likewise, was used for burials at least two years before the trustees received title to the plot of ground. Appropriately both Mrs. Steinbergen and her husband are buried in the cemetery at the rear of the church. The first person known to be buried in the cemetery was Elizabeth, consort of Richard Miller. Consort, meaning companion, or relict, meaning forsaken or left, often appeared on gravestones or in deeds of widows prior to the Civil War. Elizabeth died March 27, 1825.

The year was 1844.
     Daniel Gray, a soldier of the Revolution was buried with military honors of war. He enlisted at the age of 16 and was a member of Harry Lee's Legion. One can only speculate as to whether this was Light Horse Harry Lee, the father of Robert E. Lee. His grave is near Main Street in the northeast section of the cemetery. In February 1983 the Narrow Passage Chapter of the DAR placed an additional marker br his grave.

The year was 1861.
     Tradition has the Union Church being used as a hospital as well as a stable during the Civil War. These stories can not be documented; however, since Mt. Jackson was a large designated hospital center utilizing most buildings - private homes as well as businesses in the town, it can be logically assumed that upon occasion the little church was pressed into use particularly after a great influx of wounded via the railroad after major battles. Mr. Walter Evans, who in 1982 was the oldest resident of the town, stated during an interview that his mother told the story of how the northern soldiers used the church as a stable. The account of how the uniforms as well as the tents for company "G" of the 33rd Virginia were cut out and seamed by the ladies of Mt. Jackson in the old Union Church is vividly described in Margaret Muse Pennybacker's unpublished manuscript, "War Memories".

The year was 1930.
     Dr. Wayland recorded the names of the persons buried in the cemetery. He wrote, "There are many graves in this old graveyard in the center of town around the little old Union Church that are not marked at all except by depressions in the earth. There is no fence on two sides and it is likely that in a few years more the whole plat may be turned into a park." Fortunately, the cemetery did not disappear.
Then the year was 1934.  A group of ladies concerned that the cemetery had accumulated so much trash and was overgrown with brambles and underbrush, organized the Mt. Jackson Garden Club with one purpose - to restore the cemetery. Their concern sparked the entire community. The agricultural teacher of Triplett High School and his students cleared away the debris. Fertilizer, topsoil, and labor were donated. The gravestones were straightened, repaired, and resent. Shrubs and bulbs planted; grounds seeded and a privet hedge was planted around the entire cemetery.

The year was 1963.
     At the request of the Mayor of Mt. Jackson, the Shenandoah County Circuit Court appointed four trustees for the Union Church - one from each of the denominational churches. These trustees, Graham Stoneburner, E.L. Hynes, Lester Newland, and Martin L. Miller, requested that the Garden Club continue to supervise the care and maintenance of the cemetery. Throughout the intervening years the town of Mt. Jackson has also assisted the Garden Club to pay for a gardener for six months of the year. The little church true to the spirit of Reuben Moore's will has served many different religious congregations. They would use the church for their services until financially able to build their own churches and then they moved on.

The year was 1984.
     The Mt. Jackson Garden Club celebrated its 50th anniversary by holding an Open House at the Union Church. F. Floyd Wine, historian, gave the history of the Union Church. It was also this year that the Garden Club applied to the Virginia Historic Landmark Commission to have the Union Church placed on the roster of the Virginia Historic Landmarks. The Club was advised that the more successful route would be to have the town declared a historic district. This was an ambitious as well as an extensive project. Finally after floundering for several years, a small committee completed the project in 1989.

The year was 1986.
     The trustees, William Holtzman, Frances Brill, Elizabeth Burke, and Elizabeth Neale, because of the historic value and interest in the little church, unanimously voted to restore the building and open its doors to the general public rather than one small congregation. The trustees were able, largely due to a bequest to the church by the late Anna Tisinger, to have a recently constructed entrance stoop removed so that the historic edifice might be returned to an earlier appearance. The roof was repaired, the bell tower rebuilt; and bricks which were crumbling replaced. Some window frames and sashes were rebuilt. A new stairway to the basement was constructed and a new furnace installed.

The year was 1990 and 1991.
     The interior of the church was restored; new light fixtures were installed; the pews were refinished; the walls were scraped, re-plastered, and painted and the floors refinished. The restoration brought to light not only some early architectural features of the church but also an indeterminate number of names and/or signatures, only a portion of which have been uncovered. Several early architectural features were found when loose plaster was scraped away. Two wooden door lintels and one window were uncovered, thus proving the persistent story that the original entrance to the church was from the east side (Route 11). There is also structural evidence that the balcony was reached by a ladder. The present steps and landing were a later addition. To preserve the writings on the walls Plexiglas was installed which was donated by James E. Zerkel, Inc.

The year was 1992.
     Kenna Fansler was appointed a trustee by the court to replace Betsy Neale, Robert Miller replaced Frances Brill. Volunteer docents man the historical church during weekends. While the surrounding cemetery is almost a history of the town and its early citizens and is of great value and interest to genealogists, so the little Red Brick Church together with its cemetery continues it influence in the community, as the first Community service was held Good Friday, 1992 following the restoration project.

The year 2008.
     The current Board of Trustees are: Elizabeth Luse, who replaced Kenna Fansler; William B. Holtzman; James K. Wolfe, who replaced Robert Miller; and Neil C. Fadely who replaced Elizabeth C. Burke.

Today.
     The Board of Trustees are currently working on additional restoration projects. Recently the interior and exterior of the church have been painted and new gutters installed. All tombstones have been power washed making it much easier to identify whose graves they mark. This process removed many years worth of algae. A new chain fence was installed along the eastern and northern side of the property.