All Saints Episcopal Church Sharon Chapel

Here follows an excerpt from Donald Hakenson's "This Forgotten Land" tour guide:

In 1864, Sharon Chapel was accidently burned to the ground by Union soldiers from Fort Lyon. Later it was rebuilt from lumber from the barracks at Fort Lyon. Behind the chapel, in the cemetery, is an obelisk monument that records the deaths of Samuel and Thomas Pulman, ages nine and thirteen, who were killed when a cannon ball they were playing with exploded on August 6, 1864. An article in the Alexandria Gazette gives a slightly different account "A shell fired from one of the forts... struck the house of Mr. Samuel Pulman across Hunting Creek and exploded, killing two of his children instantly and breaking the arm of the third. The mother and father were in town at the time and upon hearing of the catastrophe their agony was intense, and the shrieks of the mother heartrending." The Pulman children were the first burials in the cemetery. The inscription on their tombstone is as follows:

"They have gone to their home in the morning of life
From the world where the rough billow rolls
And though sudden the summons that called them away
In heaven with God rest their souls."

Elements of the Thirty-eighth and Fortieth New York Volunteer Infantry were base camped behind Sharon Chapel in the winter of 1861 and 1862.


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Here follows an excerpt from the Fall 2005 "Franconia Legacies" newsletter as published by the Franconia Museum:

Sharon Chapel During The War Between The States
by Don Hakenson

Anne S. Frobel wrote in her memoirs about the condition of Sharon Chapel shortly after the Yankees entered Alexandria. She penned "Then we turned our steps toward "Sharon," our poor little chapel, and found it a complete wreck, not a window or a seat, not a lamp, chancel rail, chancel furniture, bibles, prayer books, Sunday school liturg's--all every thing gone-gone. The only vestiges remaining were the torn up books and papers scattered about, and flying with the wind all over the graveyard. But what touched me most was to see my dear old parents lying there amidst the veryest scurf and off scouring of the earth, and to think of their filling up our graveyard with such. The first time I went to town I told a friend and relative of it. II could not help screaming and crying while I talked to her about it."

Anne went on to say, "All that is left of Sharon is scribbled over with names and drawing(s) interspersed with blasphemous oaths and all manners of horrid writings. I took out my pencil and wrote in one place. "He who defileth the temple of God, him will God destroy." Some time after I went there again and found my text scribbled all around the room and more horrid pictures drawn-and a few days after this Charles came in to let us know that a whole gang of Contrabands had taken possession of Sharon and were now unloading their wagons and we had better see about it. We took him with us and hurried off down there. We found men, women and children. We told them that the building was a church, it was on our land and they could not and should not stay there. They were very impudent and insulting, said it was government property and they had more right there than we had, and they went on perfectly regard-less of what we said unloading and toting in their plunder. Charles said there was a picket station near and we had better see what they would do, but they would not interfere. Then we went to the next station, fortunately the officer of the day was there and we made known to him our grievance, he walked back to Sharon with us and told them they could not stay there, a place was provided for Contrabands at Ft. Lyon and they must go there. He gave them a note and we stayed and saw them well off the place before coming home."

Anne later wrote that "...every tree in "Sharon('s)" yard had been cut and carried off, we hurried down there to find it was a fact." So the chapel was now located in a desolate place and in a dilapidated condition.

In 1864, Sharon Chapel was accidentally burned to the ground by Union soldiers from Fort Lyon. Later it was rebuilt from lumber from the barracks of that same fort.

Behind the chapel, in the cemetery, is an obelisk monument that records the deaths of Samuel and Thomas Pulman, ages 9 and 13, who were killed when a cannon ball they were playing with exploded on August 6, 1864. An article in the Alexandria Gazette gives a slightly different account “A shell fired from one of the forts… struck the house of Mr. Samuel Pulman across Hunting Creek and exploded, killing two of his children instantly and breaking the arm of the third. The mother and father were in town at the time and upon hearing of the catastrophe their agony was intense, and the shrieks of the mother heartrending.” The Pulman children’s tombstone is the oldest in the cemetery. The inscription on their tombstone is as follows:

"They have gone to their home in the morning of life,
From the world where the rough billow rolls,
And though sudden the summons that called them away,
In heaven with God rest their souls."

If you ever get a chance to go to Sharon Chapel make sure that you visit the large cemetery in back and read the inscription on the Pulman obelisk.


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Here follows an excerpt from the Spring 2008 edition of the "Franconia Legacies" newsletter published by the Franconia Museum:

All Saints Sharon Chapel 1846 — 1997

1846 – The site for Sharon Chapel was proposed.

1848 – First Sharon Chapel was a small frame structure built on a parcel of land given by Jacob Froebel, master of nearby Wilton Hill. His daughter, Miss Froebel, established a Saturday school to teach Christian morals and ethics to the young ladies of the surrounding Wilton Woods-Happy Valley area.

1849 – Deed received for Sharon Chapel from John J. and Mary Froebel to Rector of Christ Church et al, bought for $1.00. “For the purpose of burial and of erecting an edifice to be used and occupied as a Protestant Episcopal Church in Communion with the Protestant Episcopal Church of the United States of American and for No other purposes. There was a stipulation that if it was not used for this purpose as well as occupied for five years, it would revert to the Frobel’s” Sharon Chapel has the distinction of being the first mission of the Virginia Theological Seminary (VTS). For 110 years, students from the seminary have ministered to the needs of this rural mission. Sunday services were led by seminarians and attended by people from all denominations. Tommy Packard and Phillips Brooks, were among the aspiring seminarians who received their early training at Sharon Chapel. Philips Brooks became a famous preacher of the 19th century and was the composer of the carol, “O Little Town of Bethlehem.” It is said that when Mr. Brooks delivered his first sermon at Sharon Chapel, he was so distraught with his own delivery of the sermon that he made a hasty exit by leaping through an open window next to the pulpit, and than ran all the way back to the Seminary.

1862 – Church and graveyard wrecked by “Yankees.” Taken over by squatters who were then thrown out by Yankee soldiers.

1863 – Every tree in Church yard cut down and carried away during snow storm.

1864 – Original chapel was accidentally burned to the ground by Union soldiers stationed at nearby Fort Lyon, erected to defend Alexandria and Washington. Samuel and Thomas Pulman, ages 9 and 13, were killed on August 6, 1864, when a cannonball with which they were playing exploded. They became the first burials in the cemetery. The words inscribed on the tombstone are as follows: “They have gone to their home in the morning of life / From the world where the rough billow rolls / And though sudden the summons that called them away / In heaven with God rest their souls.” The second Sharon Chapel was built with scrap lumber salvaged from the barracks of Fort Lyon.

1903 – A third chapel was built. Note from a letter from The Rev. Louis Bradford on the history of Sharon Chapel. “Until about 1945, Sharon was the only church of any kind in the immediate area. As such it ministered to the community, and was, its center. Most of the children in the neighborhood who were baptized were baptized at Sharon. Sharon had a flourishing Sunday School and Youth Group, nourished by seminary students, but generally speaking, a low church attendance.”

1955 -- Sharon was closed and combined with St. Mark’s. But soon permission was obtained to have a seminary student hold services. Robert Lyles and later William Parish conducted these services. Mr. Ainsworth, a licensed Lay Reader, continued the work.

1959 – Sharon Chapel was made an aided mission of the Diocese of Virginia and was assigned its first full-time minister. This was the first time that Sharon Chapel, in 110 years, had a full-time minister. The Rev. Louis Bradford, served as Rector from 1959-1966. The congregation consisted of twenty-five communicants. The potential for more existed as Happy Valley and its environs evolved from a rural area of small truck farms to suburban homes occupied largely by government workers.

1961 – Sharon Chapel was admitted to the Diocese of Virginia as a Mission Church. Soon the small chapel was inadequate for the needs of the congregation. Following discussions that Sharon was redundant and should be absorbed, or otherwise disposed of – to wit the people of Sharon Chapel refused to accept this and became independent financially of the Diocese.

1963 – The present, fourth church, an A-frame church was built, entirely from the resources of the Parish.

1964 – Palm Sunday, Dedication of the church.

1966 – The Rev. Louis Bradford, the first Vicar and Rector completed his six years of service.

1966 – 1972 The Rev. Sherrod Albritton was Rector. During this period the church attendance was high and in 1969 a second service was added.

1968 – The congregation raised $2,000 to pave the parking lot. One year later, the Diocesan Missionary Society loaned the money to open a much-needed additional access road from Franconia Road.

1971 – Gunnell Hall was built. It is a multipurpose brick building to meet educational and social needs. This was built on the site of the 1903 Chapel which was torn down. The building was named after Mr. Bruce Gunnell, a man devoted to Sharon Chapel, who died in 1996.

1972 – The Rev. Albritton left and there was a brief interim period.

1973 – 1976 The Rev. Richard Shimpfky, Rector. During this time, attendance at Sharon Chapel was at the highest it has ever been before or since. For example the total attendance in 1973 was 13,981, which was five thousand more than the averages of all the years between 1965 and 1996.

1974 – In April of 1974, the Diocesan Council accepted Sharon Chapel’s petition for parish status, and became officially All Saints Episcopal Church, Sharon Chapel.

1975 – Project Sharon brought in clergy from other areas to focus on Christian identity.

1977 – 1978 The Rev. Bill Deneke, Rector.

1979 – First Stone Soup Sunday. The pipe organ underwent major restoration.

1982 – The memorial ash garden was dedicated. Ramp to the church entrance was built by the Youth Group.

1983 – 1984 The Rev. Don Gausby, Interim Rector.

1984 – 1990 The Rev. Roger Foote, Rector. (From 1991 profile following Roger Foote’s departure) “For the past seven years, we have benefited from the able, and enabling, ministry of our former Rector. As a result of his leadership and personal example of growing in the faith, our church has a healthy sense of community, a strong lay leadership, a developing spiritual life, an active outreach program to the homeless, and a spark of evangelism.”

1991 – 1992 The Rev. Anne Monahan, Interim Rector. (From 1991 profile, is described as “a full-time, trained interim in place and, together, we are conducting all aspects of parish life in our normally active manner. Overall, we think we’re in pretty good shape, and ready to progress with our spiritual journey.”)

1992 – 1996 The Rev. Dr. Ronald Winchell, Rector.

1996 – 1997 The Rev. Ruth Walsh, Interim Rector.

All Saints Episcopal Church, Sharon Chapel is located at 3421 Franconia Road.