diff --git a/src/httpserver.cpp b/src/httpserver.cpp
index 9c033e415..59ba7c3bc 100644
--- a/src/httpserver.cpp
+++ b/src/httpserver.cpp
@@ -72,13 +72,35 @@ private:
     std::deque<WorkItem*> queue;
     bool running;
     size_t maxDepth;
+    int numThreads;
+
+    /** RAII object to keep track of number of running worker threads */
+    class ThreadCounter
+    {
+    public:
+        WorkQueue &wq;
+        ThreadCounter(WorkQueue &w): wq(w)
+        {
+            boost::lock_guard<boost::mutex> lock(wq.cs);
+            wq.numThreads += 1;
+        }
+        ~ThreadCounter()
+        {
+            boost::lock_guard<boost::mutex> lock(wq.cs);
+            wq.numThreads -= 1;
+            wq.cond.notify_all();
+        }
+    };
 
 public:
     WorkQueue(size_t maxDepth) : running(true),
-                                 maxDepth(maxDepth)
+                                 maxDepth(maxDepth),
+                                 numThreads(0)
     {
     }
-    /* Precondition: worker threads have all stopped */
+    /*( Precondition: worker threads have all stopped
+     * (call WaitExit)
+     */
     ~WorkQueue()
     {
         while (!queue.empty()) {
@@ -100,6 +122,7 @@ public:
     /** Thread function */
     void Run()
     {
+        ThreadCounter count(*this);
         while (running) {
             WorkItem* i = 0;
             {
@@ -122,6 +145,13 @@ public:
         running = false;
         cond.notify_all();
     }
+    /** Wait for worker threads to exit */
+    void WaitExit()
+    {
+        boost::unique_lock<boost::mutex> lock(cs);
+        while (numThreads > 0)
+            cond.wait(lock);
+    }
 
     /** Return current depth of queue */
     size_t Depth()
@@ -155,6 +185,8 @@ static std::vector<CSubNet> rpc_allow_subnets;
 static WorkQueue<HTTPClosure>* workQueue = 0;
 //! Handlers for (sub)paths
 std::vector<HTTPPathHandler> pathHandlers;
+//! Bound listening sockets
+std::vector<evhttp_bound_socket *> boundSockets;
 
 /** Check if a network address is allowed to access the HTTP server */
 static bool ClientAllowed(const CNetAddr& netaddr)
@@ -264,6 +296,13 @@ static void http_request_cb(struct evhttp_request* req, void* arg)
     }
 }
 
+/** Callback to reject HTTP requests after shutdown. */
+static void http_reject_request_cb(struct evhttp_request* req, void*)
+{
+    LogPrint("http", "Rejecting request while shutting down\n");
+    evhttp_send_error(req, HTTP_SERVUNAVAIL, NULL);
+}
+
 /** Event dispatcher thread */
 static void ThreadHTTP(struct event_base* base, struct evhttp* http)
 {
@@ -278,7 +317,6 @@ static void ThreadHTTP(struct event_base* base, struct evhttp* http)
 static bool HTTPBindAddresses(struct evhttp* http)
 {
     int defaultPort = GetArg("-rpcport", BaseParams().RPCPort());
-    int nBound = 0;
     std::vector<std::pair<std::string, uint16_t> > endpoints;
 
     // Determine what addresses to bind to
@@ -304,13 +342,14 @@ static bool HTTPBindAddresses(struct evhttp* http)
     // Bind addresses
     for (std::vector<std::pair<std::string, uint16_t> >::iterator i = endpoints.begin(); i != endpoints.end(); ++i) {
         LogPrint("http", "Binding RPC on address %s port %i\n", i->first, i->second);
-        if (evhttp_bind_socket(http, i->first.empty() ? NULL : i->first.c_str(), i->second) == 0) {
-            nBound += 1;
+        evhttp_bound_socket *bind_handle = evhttp_bind_socket_with_handle(http, i->first.empty() ? NULL : i->first.c_str(), i->second);
+        if (bind_handle) {
+            boundSockets.push_back(bind_handle);
         } else {
             LogPrintf("Binding RPC on address %s port %i failed.\n", i->first, i->second);
         }
     }
-    return nBound > 0;
+    return !boundSockets.empty();
 }
 
 /** Simple wrapper to set thread name and run work queue */
@@ -399,23 +438,33 @@ bool InitHTTPServer()
     return true;
 }
 
-bool StartHTTPServer(boost::thread_group& threadGroup)
+boost::thread threadHTTP;
+
+bool StartHTTPServer()
 {
     LogPrint("http", "Starting HTTP server\n");
     int rpcThreads = std::max((long)GetArg("-rpcthreads", DEFAULT_HTTP_THREADS), 1L);
     LogPrintf("HTTP: starting %d worker threads\n", rpcThreads);
-    threadGroup.create_thread(boost::bind(&ThreadHTTP, eventBase, eventHTTP));
+    threadHTTP = boost::thread(boost::bind(&ThreadHTTP, eventBase, eventHTTP));
 
-    for (int i = 0; i < rpcThreads; i++)
-        threadGroup.create_thread(boost::bind(&HTTPWorkQueueRun, workQueue));
+    for (int i = 0; i < rpcThreads; i++) {
+        boost::thread rpc_worker(HTTPWorkQueueRun, workQueue);
+        rpc_worker.detach();
+    }
     return true;
 }
 
 void InterruptHTTPServer()
 {
     LogPrint("http", "Interrupting HTTP server\n");
-    if (eventBase)
-        event_base_loopbreak(eventBase);
+    if (eventHTTP) {
+        // Unlisten sockets
+        BOOST_FOREACH (evhttp_bound_socket *socket, boundSockets) {
+            evhttp_del_accept_socket(eventHTTP, socket);
+        }
+        // Reject requests on current connections
+        evhttp_set_gencb(eventHTTP, http_reject_request_cb, NULL);
+    }
     if (workQueue)
         workQueue->Interrupt();
 }
@@ -423,7 +472,27 @@ void InterruptHTTPServer()
 void StopHTTPServer()
 {
     LogPrint("http", "Stopping HTTP server\n");
-    delete workQueue;
+    if (workQueue) {
+        LogPrint("http", "Waiting for HTTP worker threads to exit\n");
+        workQueue->WaitExit();
+        delete workQueue;
+    }
+    if (eventBase) {
+        LogPrint("http", "Waiting for HTTP event thread to exit\n");
+        // Exit the event loop as soon as there are no active events.
+        event_base_loopexit(eventBase, nullptr);
+        // Give event loop a few seconds to exit (to send back last RPC responses), then break it
+        // Before this was solved with event_base_loopexit, but that didn't work as expected in
+        // at least libevent 2.0.21 and always introduced a delay. In libevent
+        // master that appears to be solved, so in the future that solution
+        // could be used again (if desirable).
+        // (see discussion in https://github.com/bitcoin/bitcoin/pull/6990)
+        if (!threadHTTP.try_join_for(boost::chrono::milliseconds(2000))) {
+            LogPrintf("HTTP event loop did not exit within allotted time, sending loopbreak\n");
+            event_base_loopbreak(eventBase);
+            threadHTTP.join();
+        }
+    }
     if (eventHTTP) {
         evhttp_free(eventHTTP);
         eventHTTP = 0;
@@ -432,6 +501,7 @@ void StopHTTPServer()
         event_base_free(eventBase);
         eventBase = 0;
     }
+    LogPrint("http", "Stopped HTTP server\n");
 }
 
 struct event_base* EventBase()
diff --git a/src/httpserver.h b/src/httpserver.h
index 347e7c3ab..93fb5d8d6 100644
--- a/src/httpserver.h
+++ b/src/httpserver.h
@@ -28,7 +28,7 @@ bool InitHTTPServer();
  * This is separate from InitHTTPServer to give users race-condition-free time
  * to register their handlers between InitHTTPServer and StartHTTPServer.
  */
-bool StartHTTPServer(boost::thread_group& threadGroup);
+bool StartHTTPServer();
 /** Interrupt HTTP server threads */
 void InterruptHTTPServer();
 /** Stop HTTP server */
diff --git a/src/init.cpp b/src/init.cpp
index bb57f257d..6f87917a0 100644
--- a/src/init.cpp
+++ b/src/init.cpp
@@ -714,7 +714,7 @@ bool AppInitServers(boost::thread_group& threadGroup)
         return false;
     if (GetBoolArg("-rest", false) && !StartREST())
         return false;
-    if (!StartHTTPServer(threadGroup))
+    if (!StartHTTPServer())
         return false;
     return true;
 }
diff --git a/src/rpcserver.cpp b/src/rpcserver.cpp
index 08a556bb1..0bd8fb1b8 100644
--- a/src/rpcserver.cpp
+++ b/src/rpcserver.cpp
@@ -246,7 +246,8 @@ UniValue stop(const UniValue& params, bool fHelp)
         throw runtime_error(
             "stop\n"
             "\nStop Zcash server.");
-    // Shutdown will take long enough that the response should get back
+    // Event loop will exit after current HTTP requests have been handled, so
+    // this reply will get back to the client.
     StartShutdown();
     return "Zcash server stopping";
 }