Church of Saint Mary the Virgin (Chappaqua, New York) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Church of Saint Mary the Virgin |
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West (front) elevation, 2009
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| Religion | |
| Affiliation | Episcopal Church |
| Leadership | Fr. Joel Mason, rector |
| Year consecrated | 1906 |
| Location | |
| Location | Chappaqua, NY, USA |
| Architecture | |
| Architect(s) | Morgan O'Brien. |
| Architectural type | chapel |
| Architectural style | Gothic Revival |
| Groundbreaking | 1904 |
| Completed | 1904 |
| Specifications | |
| Direction of façade | west |
| Materials | stone |
| U.S. National Register of Historic Places | |
| Added to NRHP | April 19, 1979 |
| NRHP Reference no. | 79003213 |
| Website | |
| The Church of Saint Mary the Virgin | |
The Church of Saint Mary the Virgin is an Episcopal church located in Chappaqua, New York, United States. It was built in the early 1900s on land given by Gabrielle Greeley, the daughter of famous newspaper editor Horace Greeley. Her husband, Frank Clendenin, was also an Episcopal priest.
In 1979, the church was added to the National Register of Historic Places. This is a list of important historical sites in the United States. It was recognized along with other places connected to Horace Greeley in Chappaqua.
Horace Greeley was a well-known editor of the New York Tribune newspaper. He owned a large farm in Chappaqua. In 1872, he ran for President of the United States. He hosted a big lunch and party on his farm during his campaign. He had planted many tall evergreen trees there years earlier. These trees helped protect his farm from wind. He also wanted to show how important it was to plant new trees and protect nature.
After the election, Horace Greeley passed away. His daughter Gabrielle inherited the farm. This farm covered most of what is now downtown Chappaqua.
When Gabrielle's young daughter, Muriel, died in 1903, Gabrielle and her husband built the church. They wanted it to be a private chapel to remember Muriel. Architect Morgan O'Brien designed the church. He made it in the Gothic Revival style, which copied old European churches. It looked very much like a 15th-century church in England called Saint Mary the Virgin in Monken Hadley. Two years later, a beautiful stained glass window from that English church was given to the new church in Chappaqua.
In 1916, the Clendenins gave the church to the Episcopal Diocese of New York. They had some special rules for the gift. One rule was that they and their children would always be buried in a small plot behind the church. Since then, the church has become a regular parish church for the community. Its yearly Strawberry Festival is one of Chappaqua's most popular events.
What the Church Looks Like
The Church of Saint Mary the Virgin is just south of downtown Chappaqua. It sits on about 4 acres of land. This area is flat, near the beginning of the Saw Mill River. Hills surround most of Westchester County, but this spot is level.
Next to the church is the Robert E. Bell Middle School. Both buildings have large grassy areas in front. To the south and east, you'll find Greeley Grove. This grove has many evergreen trees that are over 150 feet tall. These trees create a natural barrier between the church and the modern Chappaqua library.
Across the street from the church is a baseball field. Beyond the field are the parking lots for the Chappaqua train station. The old stone station building is also a historic site. It has a statue of Horace Greeley in front of it. Horace Greeley's daughter and son-in-law also gave the land for the train station.
The church building itself is shaped like a cross. It is made of fieldstone, which is a type of rough stone. The roof is very steep and covered in shingles. At the front (west end) is a tall, square tower with three stories. It has a round turret (a small tower) on one corner. On the north side, there's a small, flat-roofed section. A separate building called the parish hall is located to the northeast. It has a gabled roof with dormer windows.
The church has strong stone buttresses (supports) at its corners. The main entrance and the back entrance have wooden doors with pointed arches. Stone steps with iron railings lead to the main door. The church windows are either round-arched or pointed-arched. They have smooth stone sills and tops. At the back, there is a single round window called an oculus. A low stone wall, called a parapet, runs along the roofline at the gables.
On the tower, the buttresses go up two stories. A stone cornice (a decorative molding) separates the two main parts of the tower. Above that, another cornice sets off the battlements (a wall with openings, like a castle). The small turret also has battlements at its top. The extension on the north wall also has battlements.
How the Church Began
Chappaqua started as a small farming community in the early 1700s. It was founded by Quakers. The arrival of the New York and Harlem Railroad in the mid-1800s changed things. Farmers could now sell their crops in New York City. People from the city also started moving to Chappaqua.
One of the first people to commute from the city was Horace Greeley. He was the editor of the New York Tribune. He wanted to escape city life and give his family a quiet country home. He also used his farm to try out new farming methods he wrote about in his newspaper. Planting the large grove of trees was one of these ideas. It looked nice and showed his support for protecting nature and planting new trees.
Horace Greeley passed away in 1872. His daughter Gabrielle inherited his large farm. It was about 100 acres in what is now downtown Chappaqua.
Later, Gabrielle and her husband, Frank Clendenin, started dividing up the land. In 1903, their daughter Muriel died from polio at age five. To honor her, they decided to build a memorial chapel next to the grove of trees Horace Greeley had planted. Architect Morgan O'Brien designed the church in the Gothic Revival style. It was a close copy of the Saint Mary the Virgin Church in Monken Hadley, England, which was built in 1494. The Chappaqua church was finished in 1904 and officially opened in 1906. A stained glass window from the English church was given to the new church.
In 1913, the church became a "mission church" of the Episcopal Diocese of New York. This meant it was a smaller church supported by the diocese. Three years later, the Clendenins officially gave the four-acre property to the Diocese. They had several important rules:
- The church must always be free to use.
- It must always be named Saint Mary the Virgin.
- No loans or financial burdens could ever be placed on the property.
- The family would always have the right to a 20-by-12-foot burial plot behind the church.
If the diocese ever broke these rules, the land would go back to the Clendenins or their living family members. These rules are still in place today.
In 1919, a fire in the basement caused a lot of damage inside the church. After the fire, some changes were made. A large pulpit (a raised stand for speaking) was added. Altar rails and prayer stalls were also put in the sanctuary (the main area around the altar). In 1924, a carillon (a set of bells played like an instrument) was added to the tower. It was dedicated to the memory of Alfred Smith Holland, a friend of the Clendenins.
The Clendenin family continued to worship at the church they built. Frank Clendenin retired in 1917. Gabrielle Clendenin Stahl, another daughter, died in 1920. The Clendenins and all four of their children are buried in the special plot behind the church, as they had arranged.
In 1938, the church's women's group started the first Strawberry Festival. This festival has been held every year since then. It has many activities for children, like rides and walks through Greeley Grove. The following year, they started a social event for adults called the Black Tie Dance, which also became a yearly tradition. In 1943, the church officially became a parish (a full church community). The new parish took over ownership of the property in 1949, with all the Clendenins' original rules still in effect.
As the only Episcopal church in Chappaqua, Saint Mary's needed more space. Construction began on the parish hall in the 1950s. The first floor was finished in 1951, and the whole building was done three years later. In 1955, a baptistry (a place for baptisms) was installed. It was a copy of the original one in Monken Hadley, England, and was made in England.
The church building stayed mostly the same until 1982. That year, the altar rails and prayer stalls were removed. The stone altar was replaced with a new, freestanding altar. The old stone altar was moved outside to the hillside.
Programs and Community Events
On Sunday mornings, the church offers two services. The Holy Eucharist (Communion) is performed at both services. Many church members, called the lay ministry, help the pastor, Father Joel Mason, with the services.
The church also has a great music program. An adult choir sings at the later morning service every week. They also sing daily during Holy Week and four times a year during Evensong services. Their music is mostly traditional Anglican church music, but they also perform modern pieces. A children's choir sings at services once a month. The church also hosts secular (non-religious) music performances called Ars Antiqua three times a year.
Every June, the church holds its annual Strawberry Festival. This is considered the longest-running community event of its kind in Westchester County. People come from all over the county to enjoy it. The main attraction is food made by church members using strawberries. You can find strawberry shortcake, strawberry pancakes, chocolate-covered strawberries, and strawberry smoothies. Other fun festival foods like ice cream, hot dogs, hamburgers, popcorn, and cotton candy are also available. Craft sellers offer handmade items. There are also fun activities for kids like bouncy houses, pony rides in the Grove, and face painting. The money raised from the festival helps the church support local charities, like food pantries.
While not directly part of the church, Chappaqua's popular farmer's market is held in the parish house during the winter months.
See also
- List of Episcopal churches
- National Register of Historic Places listings in northern Westchester County, New York
