Grace Reformed Episcopal Church is a historic church in Havre de Grace, Maryland. Founded and built in 1910, it is a parish of the Reformed Episcopal Church's Diocese of the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic and a contributing property to the Havre de Grace Historic District.[1]
| Grace Reformed Episcopal Church | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Location | Havre de Grace, Maryland |
| Country | United States |
| Denomination | Anglican Church in North America Reformed Episcopal Church |
| Website | gracerechurch |
| History | |
| Founded | 1910 |
| Dedicated | 1910 |
| Architecture | |
| Style | Gothic Revival |
| Administration | |
| Diocese | Northeast and Mid-Atlantic |
| Clergy | |
| Rector | The Rev. Mark Specht |
Grace Reformed Episcopal Church | |
| Part of | Havre de Grace Historic District (ID82002815) |
| Added to NRHP | March 25, 1982 |
History
edit
Grace Reformed Episcopal Church was founded in 1910 as the result of a split in St. John's Episcopal Church in Havre de Grace.[2] The church was received into the New York and Philadelphia Synod of the REC in June 1910.[3] The cornerstone was laid that year, and the small church at 560 Fountain Street was completed in time for Christmas Day services on December 25, 1910.[4]
The church has been expanded and renovated over its history. A 1,500-pound bell was donated in 1911.,[5] that the daughters also presented a bell weighing 1,500 lbs to Grace Reformed Episcopal Church.In 1915, a lightning strike to the steeple ignited wooden rafters and caused "considerable damage" to the church. The reconstruction deepened the chapel and added a choir and vestry room.[4] The parish hall was built in 1916[4] and dedicated in 1917.[6]
In 1950, the rectory was built next door, and in 1961, a two-story education building was added. Renovations in 1984 saw the installation of kneelers, refurbishment of the sanctuary and the addition of air conditioning.[4] Among the church's notable members in the 20th century was G. Arnold Pfaffenbach, a Maryland state delegate in the 1930s.[7] Pfaffenbach donated the church's pulpit in 1948 in memory of his mother.[8]
Architecture
editThe Maryland Historical Trust survey form for Grace REC's inclusion in the Maryland Index of Historic Properties describes a "[b]rick church, one story," with three bays by four bays. The belfry is located in the northwest corner, and the church has a hipped roof with a ridgeline running north to south. The "[w]indows have Gothic arch shape [with] Tiffany glass."[2]
In 2010, the church received an award from the Havre de Grace Historic Preservation Commission.[4]
References
edit- ^ "Havre de Grace Historic District Architectural Survey File" (PDF). National Register of Historic Places. Retrieved January 3, 2023.
- ^ a b "Grace Reformed Episcopal Church Architectural Survey File" (PDF). Maryland Index of Historic Properties. Maryland Historical Trust. 2013. Retrieved January 3, 2023.
- ^ "REPORT OF THE STANDING COMMITTEE OF THE NEW YORK AND PHILADELPHIA SYNOD" (PDF). Journal of the Proceedings of the Twentieth General Council of the Reformed Episcopal Church: 132. 1912. Retrieved January 3, 2023.
- ^ a b c d e O'Connell, Marita. "560 Fountain Street, Grace Reformed Episcopal Church, c. 1910". Historic Havre de Grace. Retrieved January 3, 2023.
- ^ "Town and Country". Rising Sun Midland Journal. April 7, 1911. p. 1. Retrieved January 3, 2023.
- ^ "BISHOP RUDOLPH'S REPORT" (PDF). Journal of the Proceedings of the Twenty-Second General Council of the Reformed Episcopal Church: 73. 1918. Retrieved January 3, 2023.
- ^ Kummer, Frederic Arnold (1941). The Free State of Maryland. Baltimore: Historical Record Association. pp. 1017–1018. Retrieved January 3, 2023.
- ^ "REPORT OF BISHOP HOWARD D. HIGGINS, A.M., D.D." (PDF). Journal of the Proceedings of the Thirty-Second General Council of the Reformed Episcopal Church: 29. 1948. Retrieved January 3, 2023.