Story
The story of Stone Bridge Farm as we know it stretches back over more than two centuries. We are continually and gratefully receiving the stories — testimonies — of those whose lives have been shaped by this place.
The refrain we continue to hear is that this land is holy ground.
Photo credit: Jason Prati
We are actively researching the whole history of this land, including efforts towards making a formal land acknowledgement as appropriate.
The oldest buildings that stand at Stone Bridge Farm were constructed in the late 1790s by the Wintermute family. In 1949, it was purchased by Herman and Henrietta Kleindienst. The Kleindiensts and their children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren were its caretakers until its sale to Lisa Kimball and Tricia Lyons in 2022.
The Farm
Photo credit: Tricia Lyons
Ten years before they purchased Stone Bridge Farm from the Kleindienst family, Lisa and Tricia unknowingly began to hear the call towards a new and different way of life from the one they were living in the DC suburbs, where they live and teach at Virginia Theological Seminary.
In 2012, they bought an RV.
The Call
Photo credit: Katie Hoyer
It was certainly a journey from the purchase of an RV in 2012 to the purchase of a farm in 2022, but Lisa and Tricia have quickly come to understand that it was only the beginning. In the two years since the purchase of Stone Bridge Farm, dozens of people have joined the traveling party in different roles, bringing their different gifts to the challenges that arise daily as we work and live into this holy and communal enterprise.