Both Augusta and Franklin Counties were primarily Christian, and overwhelmingly Protestant. As in most nineteenth-century communities, religion played a major role in the lives of residents. Even those who were not active church members were still affected by these institutions, and God's hand was seen in many events. Each county had several churches, representing a variety of denominations. Blacks and whites sometimes worshiped together, but more often worshiped apart, particularly following emancipation, as can be seen by the numbers of black churches in each place.

The lists and descriptions of churches below are in no way intended to be definitive and complete. We have not yet done an exhaustive search for church records in either place.

Number of churches in each county.

Newspaper articles about religion in Augusta County

Newspaper articles about religion in Franklin County

The first churches founded in Augusta county were Presbyterian: Stone Church (or Augusta), Tinkling Spring, Hebron (or Brown's Meeting House), Rock Spring, and Bethel. Mossy Creek was organized in 1767. Staunton's Presbyterians were initially affiliated with Tinkling Spring or Hebron, as were those in Waynesboro. In 1818 Presbyterian Church was erected in Staunton; one was built in Waynesboro in 1847. Later Presbyterian churches in the county included Union (1817), Shemariah (1832), Mt. Carmel (1835), Mt. Horeb (1857) and Lock Willow, built in Churchville in 1866. The Associate Reformed or "Seceder" Presbyterians had their own church, Old Providence. [pictures from 1890 book]

Augusta also had a significant Episcopal presence, in part because the church was legally established in Virginia until the Revolution. At mid-century there were two Episcopal churches in the county: one at Boyden, 5 miles SE of Staunton, and Trinity Church, in town. Trinity church owned two acres in the center of Staunton, and the Revolutionary War Virginia General Assembly held sessions in the church itself, after being driven from Richmond and Charlottesville.

There were several Lutheran churches in the county. The first, Coiner's, or Trinity, on South River was founded in 1780, followed by Mt Tabor in Riverheads, 1785; Mt. Zion, near Middlebrook, 1830; Mt. Hermon, near Newport, 1850; Bethlehem, near Fishersville, 1843, Mt. Zion, in Waynesboro, 1845; Staunton Lutheran Church, 1850; Salem near Mt. Sidney, 1845; Churchville, 1850. Other Lutheran churches included Bethany and Waynesborough.

Augusta county's Methodists were, according to Joseph Waddell's Annals of Augusta County, too numerous to name. As he explained, "there is now [1880s] a Methodist church at nearly every village in the county, the number of churches and chapels being eighteen, besides several colored Methodist churches". One of the best known churches, in Staunton, gave the "Gospel Hill" area its name.

Augusta had a sizable German population, over a hundred Augustans were born in Germany and many others were second-generation German immigrants. Consequently several German Reformed churches. These included St. John's, New Bethany, and Mint Spring. The Tunkers or German Baptists were also present, and worshiped at Mt. Vernon, Barren Ridge, Valley District, and Moscow.

Other denominations in the county included the United Brethren. A Catholic church was built in Staunton in 1850, and maintained an affiliated school, staffed by the Sisters of Charity. The Baptists also built a church in Staunton during the 1850s. According to Waddell, by the 1880s there were six Baptist churches in the county, and two "colored churches" in Staunton proper. Two of these were Mt. Zion Baptist Church and Augusta Street United Methodist Church.

African-American Churches

St. James A. M. E. Church
This church for Franklin County blacks was first noted in 1811, as the St. James Methodist Episcopal Church. The following year, the church moved into a log building (previously occupied by the Catholic church) on South Main Street, the area known as Kerrstown. The two-room building was furnished simply, with backless benches and kerosene lamps. In 1839, Augusta and Rebecca Greene purchased land from George and Sarah Chambers, and founded the St. James A. M. E. Church. Six years later the congregation split, with the separatists forming the John Wesley A. M. E. Church. The original log building was remodeled in 1865, and eventually replaced by a brick structure in 1872.

John Wesley A. M. E. Church
The John Wesley Church was formed in 1845 when for "unknown reasons," a group left the Methodist Church of Kerrstown (later the St. James A. M. E. Church). They too met in a log cabin, located on West German Street. Before 1864, the only pastors were circuit riders. In 1872, the church had outgrown their log building, and erected a new church on the same site.

Mt Moriah Baptist Church
In 1863 the Mt. Moriah Baptist church was founded. Known initially as the "Old School Baptist Church," it was first located in a log building at the corner of Liberty and Water streets.

McCauley also includes pastors, circa. 1876.

Presbyterian

Mercersburg

Chambersburg: Falling Spring, Central Church, St. Thomas, Rocky Spring

Fayetteville

Fannetsburg: Lower Path Valley, Burnt Cabins

Dry Run: Upper Path Valley

Greencastle

Welsh Run

Lutheran

Chambersburg: 1st Church, 2nd Church (Germ.), Grindstone Hill

Greencastle

Waynesboro

Upper Strasburg

Mercersburg

Shippensburg: Greenvillage

McConnellsburg: Loudon

Clearspring, Md.: Sylvan

Reformed

Chambersburg: Chambersburg, St. John's (Germ.), Grindstone Hill

Waynesboro: Waynesboro and Mont Alto

Greencastle

Mercersburg: Loudon, Mercersburg, College Church

St. Thomas

Methodist Episcopal

Chambersburg: 1st Church, King Street

Waynesboro

Greencastle

Mercersburg

Loudon

Greenvillage

Mont Alto

United Brethren In Christ

Chambersburg: Chambersburg, Rocky Spring

Greencastle

Orrstown

Funkstown

Loudon

Spring Run

Local Preachers

Chambersburg

Orrstown

Protestant Episcopal

Chambersburg

Roman Catholic

Chambersburg

Church of God

Chambersburg: Chambersburg, Orrstown & Fayetteville

Mennonite Church

Letterkenny

Greene

near Mercersburg

Reformed Mennonites

Guilford

Montgomery

Washington

Waynesboro

River Brethren

Guilford

Antrim

Southhampton

Washington

Lurgan

Greene

Letterkenny

Peters

Montgomery

Waynesboro

Hamilton

Tunkers

Guilford

Quincy

Antrim

Washington

St. Thomas

Peters

Hamilton

Waynesboro

Greene

Seventh Day Baptists

Quincy

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