Grace Church (Ca Ira, Virginia) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Grace Church |
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Front view of the church, taken in October, 2008
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| Religion | |
| Affiliation | Episcopal Church in the United States of America |
| Ecclesiastical or organizational status | Parish church |
| Year consecrated | 1843 |
| Status | Rarely used |
| Location | |
| Location | Ca Ira, Virginia |
| Municipality | Littleton Parish |
| State | Virginia |
| Architecture | |
| Architect(s) | Dabney Cosby |
| Architectural type | Church |
| Architectural style | Greek Revival |
| General contractor | Valentine Parrish |
| Groundbreaking | 1840 |
| Completed | 1843 |
| Materials | Brick |
| U.S. National Register of Historic Places | |
| Added to NRHP | October 30, 1980 |
| NRHP Reference no. | 80004185 |
| Designated | June 17, 1980 |
| Reference no. | 024-0009 |
| Website | |
| none | |
Grace Church, also known as Grace Episcopal Church, is an Episcopal church located in Cumberland County, Virginia. It was designed by Dabney Cosby, who used to work with Thomas Jefferson. This church is the only important building left from the old town of Ca Ira.
Grace Church is special because of its history and how it was built. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on October 30, 1980. This means it's a very important historical site.
Contents
History of Grace Church
The Town of Ca Ira
In the early 1800s, Ca Ira was a small farming town in Virginia. It was officially started by the Virginia General Assembly in 1796. People think its name might come from a popular French song from that time. Many Virginians admired the French Revolution.
By 1836, Ca Ira was a busy village with about 210 people. It had many homes, stores, a mill, and a tobacco warehouse. There were also two taverns and a Masonic hall.
Building the Church
Construction of Grace Church began in 1840. The land for the church was officially recorded in 1843. It was located next to the town of Ca Ira. The church was built to serve the people of the town and families from nearby plantations.
Valentine Parrish was a key person in building the church. He donated the land and also worked as the builder. The architect was Dabney Cosby. Cosby had helped Thomas Jefferson build parts of the University of Virginia. Cosby and Parrish had worked together before. They were both listed as architects for the Goochland County Courthouse in 1826.
Valentine Parrish was a very important person in Cumberland County before the Civil War. He often asked the Virginia General Assembly to change local tolls. He also suggested ways to help the county economically. A slave named Albert Mann, who belonged to the Parrish plantation, is said to have done the woodwork and framing for the church. Rev. Henry Kinckle oversaw the construction.
Changes Over Time
When Grace Church was finished in 1843, it was the biggest and most impressive building in Ca Ira. It also helped bring back the Littleton parish, which had been quiet since 1813. In 1857, a report said the church was "in constant use."
Even though Ca Ira grew until the 1850s, it started to shrink after the Civil War. By the late 1800s, many buildings were left empty, including the church. A book from 1906 only mentioned a few buildings left in Ca Ira, mostly shops.
Restoration Efforts
In 1928, descendants of the original church members formed the Ca Ira Restoration Society. This group worked to raise money to fix up the church. They successfully restored the building. The Society also stopped the church leaders from selling the property.
In 1954, they brought back a tradition of annual "homecoming services." These services had started in the 1930s. Today, Grace Church is kept in good condition by the Episcopal Diocese of Southern Virginia. To keep its status as a church, it must hold at least one religious service each year.
The church was also studied as part of the Historic American Buildings Survey after 1933.
What Grace Church Looks Like
Grace Church shows how different building styles mixed together in the mid-1800s. It combines ideas from Roman, Greek, and Gothic Revival architecture. It's known for its skilled craftsmanship. The church's shape and brickwork come from Virginia's building traditions, influenced by Thomas Jefferson. Its Greek and Gothic details were inspired by popular builder's books.
Outside the Church
The outside of Grace Church is a mix of Roman, Greek, and Gothic Revival styles. It's described as a "temple-form country church" and measures about 32 feet by 48 feet. There's a small vestry (a room for clergy) at the back. The church sits on a brick foundation with air holes.
The walls are made of handmade bricks that are all the same color and not glazed. The mortar joints are very neat. Two types of brickwork were used:
- The front and east side use Flemish bond.
- The north side uses five-course American bond.
- The west side mixes four-course American bond with Flemish bond.
You can still see the original lines drawn in the mortar joints.
All sides of the church have windows. These windows are tall and have 12 panes in each sash. They have louvered shutters and decorative moldings. Above the main entrance, there's a pointed transom window with crisscrossing patterns. A similar design is in the window above the main entrance, in the tympanum.
On the east side, one window is a "jib window." People say it was used for funerals. The roof has a curved cornice that forms two triangular pediments, one on each main side. The roof is covered with Buckingham Slate. Later additions include two small chimneys and a small wooden cross on the front pediment, added in the 1950s.
Inside the Church
The inside of Grace Church is one large room. The vestry is in a newer part of the building, behind the sanctuary (the main worship area). There are two main aisles in the nave (the central part of the church). These aisles are created by the way the original pews are placed. The pews in the center are separate, and they are larger than the ones on the sides. The side pews are angled and attached to the walls.
There is a gallery (a balcony) on the south wall. It has one center aisle and two side aisles. The gallery is held up by two Doric columns on the side walls and several pilasters (flat columns). Above the columns, there's a decorated entablature topped by a railing with turned balusters (small posts). You can get to the gallery by an enclosed stairway on the east side. One wall of the stairway has diagonal wood panels, and there is no stair rail.
The pulpit (where the preacher stands) is on the north wall. It's inside a communion rail with rectangular bars. The pulpit has panels and a Greek fret design. This design seems to come from Practical House Carpenter by Asher Benjamin, a popular builder's book from 1830. This shows that Cosby knew the popular building styles of his time. Near the pulpit is a baptismal font made of marble.
The church also has two old wood-burning stoves. These are fancy cast iron stoves made by "Leibrandt & McDowell, Philadelphia & Baltimore." A paneled dado (a decorative lower part of the wall) runs around the room and includes a chair rail. The floor is unfinished wood, and the walls and ceiling are covered in plaster.
Church Cemetery
There is a small cemetery behind the church, in a hilly, wooded area. It overlooks the Willis River. We don't know exactly when burials started. The oldest headstones that can still be read are from the 1880s. It's possible there are older graves, but many markers are worn away.
Some of the missing markers have been replaced with new stones. Local families still use the cemetery for burials. Two soldiers who fought for the Confederate Army are also buried here. The church, cemetery, and the land they sit on are all part of the National Register listing. The land is about two-thirds of an acre, following the original property lines.
Why Grace Church is Important
Grace Church is important for several reasons. It connects to Dabney Cosby and the building ideas of Thomas Jefferson that were common in Virginia in the early 1800s. The church is a well-preserved example of a country church in Virginia. It mixes different architectural styles. It is also one of the last and best-preserved reminders of the once-busy town of Ca Ira.
See also
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Cumberland County, Virginia, for other nearby historic sites
