The Eccentric Episcopals Driving Tour
Visit churches formed by seminary students with odd personalities.
Tour Description
Franconia Road just south of Alexandria's Old Town is an area steeped in religious history and it once held the Guinness World Record for most churches per mile on the road. Anglicanism came early to Virginia in 1607 and the General Assembly designated it as the official church of the colony, with each settlement required to set aside a place to hold regular worship services. The church would face a serious shortage of clergy for many years, leading to many seminary students being brought in from the nearby Virginia Theological Seminary in Alexandria to serve as missionaries leading weekly church services in each neighborhood. The students founded and helped build three local chapels in the Franconia area, today known as All Saints Church, Olivet Church and Saint Mark's Church. The students sometimes used unconventional methods, learning as they went along, but were beloved by the people they served as the only church available in what was then a rural farming community. Your guide will show you around the exhibits inside the Franconia Museum and then guide you on a two-hour drive to visit the local Episcopal churches and cemeteries. The tour focuses on the early Episcopal churches along Franconia Road, Telegraph Road and Beulah Street but can be expanded to include other locations nearby depending on your historical interests. You won’t get confused missing directional signs, dealing with road closures, and otherwise wasting time. Your tour guide knows exactly where to go and will ride alongside you in your car to point the way while you drive, so everyone can fully enjoy the tour. Please make sure to have one open seat available in your vehicle for the tour guide so they can ride along with you. Some of the featured sites on the tour include: OLIVET CHURCH -- the third of four structures to house its congregation since 1853. In 1872 a new church was built at the corner of Bush Hill Drive and moved in 1892 to its present site at the intersection of Franconia Road and Beulah Street. SHARON CHAPEL -- Built in 1849. One of its early seminarians was Phillips Brooks, Bishop of Massachusetts and author of the hymn, "O Little Town of Bethlehem". ST MARK'S CHURCH -- Founded in 1880 as the Groveton Mission on Route 1 and moved in 1958 to its current site on South Kings Highway. POHICK CHURCH -- The famous worshiping place of George Washington was built in 1732 and is considered to be the "Mother Church of Northern Virginia". ... AND SO MUCH MORE!
Accessibility and Cancellation Policy
Some of our tours are marked as active walking tours; guests are advised that they should be physically capable and prepared to walk around an urban environment for the time and distances listed. ASSISTANCE DOGS: All assistance dogs are welcome on our tours including registered guide dogs, hearing dogs and medical alert dogs. Please make us aware of this beforehand by email at franconiahistory@gmail.com WHEELCHAIRS AND MOBILITY VEHICLES: Any guests who use a wheelchair must be capable of travelling throughout the length of the relevant tour, some parts of which will be on uneven terrain. Manual wheelchair users are likely to need to bring a personal assistant with them. Self-propelled wheelchair users even with assistance are likely to struggle in some areas and as a result may experience difficulty on some areas of tours. Guests who use an electric wheelchair or mobility scooter must ensure they have sufficient battery power for the duration of a tour. Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any queries on the suitability of a tour. TOILET FACILITIES: As we host outdoor tours, we are not able to provide permanent toilet facilities for visitors. We however try to ensure our tours are designed to pass via publicly accessible toilets as a rest break for visitors. We are however not able to guarantee that these will be open at all times during our tours. Our guides will always try to direct visitors towards open facilities if required. TOUR CANCELLATION POLICY: Franconia History LLC understands that schedules change, especially while you are on vacation or with family. You are welcome to cancel or reschedule your tour with us at no additional charge up to twelve hours prior to the scheduled start time of your tour. If cancellation is required, you are requested to notify us no later than twelve hours before your scheduled tour start time. Please note that any cancellations you make within twelve hours of your scheduled tour start time will cause the forfeiture of one-half of the fee you paid for the tour. Franconia Museum LLC cannot be held responsible for delays or cancellations of customer trips that result from weather, traffic, mechanical difficulties or circumstances beyond our control. If Franconia History LLC is forced to cancel your tour due to reasons outside of company control, all prior payments will be refunded to you within ten business days.
Contact Details
franconiahistory@gmail.com
Franconia Museum, Inc., 6121 Franconia Road, Alexandria, VA 22310, USA