Grace Episcopal Church

Grace Church is the youngest of the group of three Episcopal churches in the Nelson parish. Built on land given by Susan C. Withers Massie in 1885, it was consecrated in 1889. The congregation traces its ancestry to old Jonesboro Free Church, 1812. Anderson, Boyd, Clarkson, Massie, Shelton, and Withers are family names of early members.

The sanctuary was built from lumber cut near Massies Mill and Henderson’s Store. When the church was built, the stained glass rose window at the back of the church was installed, as was the bell in the cupola given by the Women’s Guild. It features handmade furnishings, and stained glass windows, which are gifts and memorials.

In August 1969, when the disastrous flood accompanying Hurricane Camille destroyed much of Massies Mill, Grace Church was seriously damaged. Repair by the congregation can community, with the assistance of the Mennonites through their disaster relief program, permitted only one Sunday of delay in services. New stained glass windows dedicated one year later include “the flood widow” which pictures Noah and the Ark and in the lower end, Grace Church in the flood.

2 thoughts on “Grace Episcopal Church”

  1. Hi,
    I love the nelsonscenicloop.com, incl. the write-up of the churches.
    I just wanted to let you know that Grace Episcopal Church has a website
    http://www.gracemassiesmill.org/index.html

    We do have a picture gallery with the stained glass windows on the site, including the “flood window” http://www.gracemassiesmill.org/picture-pages/flood_window.html

    Feel free to link to our Church’s website. Thank you very much for making this information available on the Nelson Scenic Loop.

    Best regards,
    Monika Wood, webmaster
    Grace Episcopal Church
    Massies Mill, VA

    P.S. There are a few typos in the last paragraph:

    “Repair by the congregation [CAN should be AND?] community, with the assistance of the Mennonites through their disaster relief program, permitted only one Sunday of delay in services. New stained glass windows dedicated one year later include “the flood widow” [Should be wiNdow]

    • thank you for your email from last year.!! sorry not to have responded previously but we are just now building capacity to keep up. I have long been interested in the stain glass window gifted by the Ewing Family at Grace. I live at ELK HILL and we facilitated placement of a Camille marker at the south Rockfish Bridge several years ago. The windows at Grace are wonderful. I hope we can link to your website. thanks

      Peter Agelasto

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