St. Andrew’s had its beginning in the tumult of World War I. As the war effort grew, the requirement for ships to transport troops and materials across the Atlantic proved a tremendous boon to the shipbuilding industry. Newport News Shipyard was limited by the severe lack of adequate housing needed for the vast numbers of workers required. Thus came into being Hilton Village, the nation’s first government-built planned community. Village planners took into account the spiritual needs of the new community and planned for prospective church sites at opposite ends of Main Street – two at the intersection of Warwick road on the east and two on the west at River Road. We are one of the churches which sits on River Road.

In 1919, the Rev. Henry G. Lane, rector of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church often held afternoon services by the James River before an official building space was available. The first frame church was build and consecrated in 1920. Throughout the 1920s, St. Andrew’s functioned with a minister-in-charge, depending on lay leadership and a rotating cast of seminary students who made the trek to Hilton Village from the campus of the College of William & Mary in Williamsburg.

In 1943, St. Andrew’s achieved parish status and the Rev. Paul Kratzig was appointed as the first rector. The Day School was established in 1946 with the Rev. Kratzig’s wife, Lucy, serving as the director.

The mid-1950s welcomed the second rector of St. Andrew’s with the arrival of the Rev. W. Francis Burke, who served as a chaplain during World War II. During his tenure, the cornerstone was laid in 1958 for the present church. Rev. Burke served until his death in 1974. In 1975, the Rev. Douglas G. Burgoyne was named the third Rector, a position he held until ending his tenure in 1991. In 1993, the Rev. Dr. Robert Marston was named the fourth Rector of St. Andrew’s. In 2000, a capital campaign was initiated to fund major renovations and make all buildings more handicap-accessible and efficient for use. In 2014, following Dr. Marston’s retirement, we welcomed the Rev. David W. Perkins, Th.D, as our Rector in Transition. In late 2016, the Vestry called the Rev. Anne Ruth Kirchmier to be our fifth rector. She began her ministry with us on February 1, 2017. Anne is the first woman to serve as rector in the church's history.