About this property
Grace Episcopal Church is a historic Episcopal parish at 216 East 6th Street in Hopkinsville, Kentucky, United States. The current (second) building was built in 1883 and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1982. The church is a member of the Episcopal Diocese of Kentucky. Hopkinsville's first Episcopal parish was started around 1830 by Bishop Benjamin B. Smith and the Reverend George P. Giddinge, who was the first Missioner in Charge. Coincidentally, both of the men who lent their names to Hopkinsville and Christian County - respectively, Samuel Hopkins and William Christian - were both Episcopalians. After meeting in a Presbyterian church and the local courthouse, the members of Grace Episcopal Church constructed their first building around 1850 near the northern end of its present location. Additionally, the very first rectory still exists at the northwestern corner of Fifth and Liberty streets. On October 10, 1875, Christian County native and president of the Confederate States of America during the American Civil War, Jefferson Davis, worshiped at Grace Church. The parish maintains a historical marker which mentions this visit. Grace Episcopal Church's current building dates to 1883, when funds were gathered for its construction. It features English Gothic Revival architecture, which was popular at the time. John C. Latham Jr., a locally renowned philanthropist from Hopkinsville, financed the majority of the cost. To return this favor, Grace Church designed two stained glass windows in the nave to honor him and his mother, Virginia Glass Latham. Latham's generosity also extended to include the purchase of an Estey Organ for the sanctuary and a $50,000 endowment following his death in 1909. At a time when African Americans were still being oppressed in the American South, Nat Gaither opened a Christian education program to benefit black children in the 1880s. With the help of parishioners from Grace Church, Alexander Hamilton (A.H.) McNeil (The first permanent black episcopal clergyman in Christian County) raised money and constructed a separate church, Chapel of the Good Shepherd, in 1896. It was designed in the Neo-Federal style and is now occupied by the Aaron McNeil House. In the twentieth century, two additions were made to Grace Church: Gaither Hall in 1906 and All Saints Hall in 1985. Grace Commons is a labyrinth. It was designed with eleven circuits and modeled after the one integrated into the stone floor of Chartres Cathedral in Chartres, France circa 1201. The turns in the circuits are placed into four quadrants with a six-petal rosette in the center. Grace Commons is open to the public, not just members of Grace Episcopal Church. It is located at the corner of Seventh and Liberty Streets facing the main parish building. There are two entrances into the labyrinth, one with steps descending from a parking lot on Sixth Street and another that is wheelchair-accessible from Seventh Street.
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Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).
Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
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Questions about this property
When was Grace Episcopal Church listed on the National Register?
Grace Episcopal Church was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on January 28, 1982.
What type of historic resource is Grace Episcopal Church?
Grace Episcopal Church is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.
What is the period of significance for Grace Episcopal Church?
The period of significance for Grace Episcopal Church is recorded as the industrial era, specifically around 1883.
Can I research the history near Grace Episcopal Church?
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