| Grace
Church is one of the oldest churches in Gainesville, as well as
in the Episcopal Diocese of Atlanta. In the early nineteenth
century it was the custom of coastal residents to flee to the
mountains during the summer months, thus escaping the humid heat
of the low country and the outbreaks of malaria. By the late
1820's, Episcopalians were in Gainesville. In the late
1830's, the Reverend E.B. Kellogg, a missionary from New York,
established a number of Episcopal missions throughout the
mountainous area of North Georgia, and led worship for
Gainesville's Episcopalians.
Among
these early Episcopalians was Col. George Harvey Hall, a
transplanted Yankee from Connecticut, who bought a large parcel
of land known as Mule Camp Springs. He built a small chapel on
the property and by 1861 the Diocese reported that '...the
church in Gainesville is thriving with fourteen members.'
The Civil War, followed by the
period of reconstruction, left the fledgling congregation in
disarray. Col. Hall sold his property and left the country and
the small chapel was sold to the Presbyterians.
Over the years the remaining
members of Grace Church reestablished their worshiping community
and by 1880 boasted of eight members. A building was erected at
the corner of College and Bradford Streets, which was moved to
its present location on Washington Street in 1913. Growth and
stability followed until disaster struck in 1936. On the morning
of April 6th, a devastating tornado struck Gainesville, killing
200 people and destroying businesses and homes. Grace Church was
destroyed and its sexton killed. Miraculously the church's altar
and attached reredos were left standing.
Less than a year later the
cornerstone of a new building was laid and the church was built
around the surviving altar. Like the fabled Phoenix, Grace
Church has twice risen from the ashes of destruction. Over the
last sixty years the parish has become the largest Episcopal
congregation in Northeast Georgia and a major presence in the
life and work of the Diocese of Atlanta. In the last ten years
there has been a remarkable growth of young families accompanied
by the establishment of a preschool and a full program of
Christian education.
Grace Church welcomes all
persons who are seeking a spiritual home and invites you, as the
Apostle Andrew invited his brother Peter, to "come and
see." |
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