Community reflects on 150 years at Grace Church

MILLBROOK  —  The first meeting of the fall season of the Millbrook Historical Society was held at Grace Church on Thursday, Sept. 15. The audience, numbering close to 70 people, listened to a presentation by the Rev. Canon Elliott Lindsley, author of “Years of Grace: A History of Grace Church.”

Lindsley spoke of the history involving the well-known church and how it came to sit at the top of Franklin Avenue. It’s on the left of the main street, a large stone edifice with bright red doors. It is said the red doors signal it’s a place of sanctuary, a welcome respite for all.

Lindsley said there were three epic moments in the 150 years of church history. Grace Church followed the people — a community of faith-strong communicants — and the result is the Grace Church known today, the third Grace Church building. 

The early communities of the Hudson Valley were largely made up of immigrants from Scotland, England and Ireland. Steamboats, and later railroads, made travel easier than it had previously been. People traveled up the river with their household goods on steamboats. Some settled in Harts Village, where Merritt Bookstore now stands. At the time, it was the site of a mill, which among other things, provided jobs. And, of course, the immigrants needed homes, and then, a place to worship. 

The first Grace Church, at Harts Village, had the cornerstone laid in 1867. This was its first epic moment. However, an arsonist set fire to the building in 1870, when the church was just 3 years old. This was its second epic moment. There was an insurance policy on the edifice which paid $3,000. This, along with the generosity of John Wing and other parishioners, led to a new church being raised. It is still not known exactly who the arsonist was.

Meanwhile, other events were taking place. The railroad became a factor in the growth of what would become Millbrook. Businesses were springing up and houses were being built. It then made sense to move Grace Church, when it was rebuilt, to settle in Millbrook as well. So in 1871, Grace Church moved to Millbrook.

The second Grace Church was built quickly; it was a barn-like structure. Soon, many members of the church, including Wing, made plans for improvements. By 1899, the improvements actually became a plan for a new church. Wing donated a lot on Franklin Avenue for the site of the new building. The Wing family donated more land in 1961. By the time the new, third church was built, there were 60 families and 160 baptized members on hand to celebrate the new site and parish.

In 1902, the church was completed, at the cost of more than the $10,500 originally planned. The vestry had to borrow $3,000 to make the last payment. A new organ was purchased, for a choir of 120 people, and a new bell was purchased. The craftsman period of architecture was popular at that time, and so the church has exposed beams and brickwork, with almost no matching panels.

Shortly after, a new rectory was built. A children’s protectory had begun at Hope’s Farm; Grace Church supplied the children with medical and other secular programs. Miss Bennett’s School, later Bennett College, opened in 1908. About 70 students regularly attended services during the school year. In 1909, plans were discussed concerning a parish hall, and with contributions of $6,781 already collected, the parish hall became a reality. This was particularly important to the then Rector, Rev. Charles Gilbert, appointed in 1906.

While many Episcopal churches had become enamored for a time with the grandiose trappings and services of Catholic churches, Gilbert saw his role more as a social worker, doing good for all of the communicants of his church and of Millbrook residents in general. He was quoted as saying, when the parish house opened, “We would like to look upon this as marking the beginning of a new era of usefulness and service for the parish — a usefulness and service which may be of benefit to the whole community.”

And so the story of Grace Church — in all its incarnations — was discussed at last week’s meeting by Lindsley. As Grace Church sits on Franklin Avenue, with its bright red doors welcoming worshipers, what is most notable is the spirit of giving, not only to the church’s own communicants but to the entire population of Millbrook as well.