Grace Episcopal Church on September 17 will celebrate the admission of the Grace Chapel on the National Register of Historic Places.
An unveiling of a related plaque will be held at 4 p.m., reported parish administrator Candie Newman. A brief dedication service will be followed by the unveiling and a champagne reception on the lawns.
Grace Chapel is the original Grace Episcopal Church built in 1851 under the ministry of The Rev. Edmund Withers and consecrated by Bishop Johns on November 18, 1852. It was the first church built in Kilmarnock and was in Christ Church Parish along with St. Mary’s Whitechapel, Christ Church and later Trinity.
In 1957, a building project for the current Grace Church was begun which included a decision to demolish the Chapel. Fortunately, this did not happen. On February 24, 1958, the decision was made to relocate the Chapel to its present spot for use during the building project.
To this day, Grace Chapel holds regular weekly services as well as special seasonal services, concerts, funerals and weddings.
