Architecture

Grace Episcopal Church, The Plains, Virginia /  by Todd Henson

Grace Episcopal Church in The Plains, Virginia

The first time I viewed Grace Episcopal Church in The Plains, Virginia, was many, many years back when randomly driving through the night with a friend. I recall how beautiful it looked illuminated at night. I’ve yet to return at night to see and photograph this magnificent structure, but I did return with my father in late September of 2024, when we stopped and walked up and down Main Street and I created a number of photographs of the church.

A touch of Grace in The Plains

Red doors of Grace Episcopal Church

The Plains, originally called White Plains, was around before the Civil War, and in 1831 had a Post Office named The Plains. It grew from there and was incorporated as a town in 1910, though it still remains a very small town with a population of 245 as per the 2020 census. Today it is part of Fauquier County.

Grace in The Plains

The history of Grace Episcopal Church stretches back to 1855, though the current stone structure was consecrated on June 28, 1918 and was built from stones donated from local farms. It’s an example of 13th century rural English Gothic architecture, and perhaps that’s why I find it so compelling, that older gothic style and the beautiful stonework, the arches and steeples, the deep red doors. And unlike some churches in larger towns, this one still has a sizable property that sets the structure away from the road and from distracting power lines. It’s a very beautiful location.

Visit their website to learn more about the history of Grace in the Plains.

The grounds of Grace Episcopal Church in The Plains, Virginia

Part of the old stone wall around Grace Episcopal Church in The Plains, Virginia

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Grace Memorial Church, Port Republic, Virginia /  by Todd Henson

Grace Memorial Church in Port Republic, Virginia, as viewed from their gravel parking lot

My father and I happened by this church while on a road trip elsewhere and on our way back decided to stop and capture some photographs. A storm was headed our way but you can hardly tell as it was coming from the other direction. We left just a few minutes before the rain began to fall.

An angled view showing Grace Memorial Church and their original church bell displayed in the foreground

I wasn’t able to find much historical information about this church, but they did have their original church bell on display in the church yard. The sign there indicated the bell had been purchased at a local auction and was thought to be the Lynnwood School bell. It required a new cradle so the new owner took the bell back to the foundry that had built it which was still in business, McShane Foundry, in Baltimore, Maryland. According to the foundry records this was actually the original church bell and dated from 1889.

The original church bell of Grace Memorial Church

Apparently there used to be an historical marker in the center of the gravel parking lot of the church about the Port Republic Battlefield, marking a battle of the US Civil War that occurred at this location. But it was destroyed in 2006 by a tractor-trailer attempting to turn around in the parking lot. So the marker was rebuilt and relocated just off the other side of the road from the church.

The historical marker says that on June 9, 1862, Confederate General T. J. “Stonewall Jackson” defeated General J. Shield’s vanguard advancing from Elkton under General R. O. Tyler. It says there were 4500 Federals, of which 551 were killed, wounded, or missing, and 450 were captured. There were 6000 Confederates, of which 804 were killed or wounded.

What was once the location of a battle of the US Civil War is now home to a practicing Episcopal church, one whose original church bell was created 27 years after the battle.

Grace Memorial Episcopal Church, Port Republic, Virginia

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Schoolhouse Number 18 - Marshall, Virginia /  by Todd Henson

The grounds of Schoolhouse Number 18

After the US Civil War, during Reconstruction, Congress required former Confederate states such as Virginia to institute new constitutions before they’d be allowed back into the national legislature. In 1869 Virginia voters approved a new constitution, one element of which was the establishment of a free public education system. A number of new schools were built, one of which was Public School #18 in Fauquier.

The front entrance of Schoolhouse Number 18

For its early years from its construction in 1887 until 1910 it served local white children. A newer school was built in the village of Marshall in 1910 and after that point Number 18 served local African American students. The school closed in 1964. Miss Sadie Hill’s students in grades 1-5 were then transferred to Northwestern (now Claude Thompson) school.

The side of Schoolhouse Number 18

Fauquier County and the Marshall Regional Historical Society began preservation efforts at the property in 1986. The metal roof had helped keep water out and did a good job preserving the interior, much of which has been retained. A sign states that the blackboard, floor, walls and ceilings are all original, though a new stove from the period was donated. The exterior cupola had to be replaced but they recovered and reinstalled the original bell within it.

Public School No 18, 1887

Schoolhouse Number 18 and the gardens

Today Schoolhouse #18 sits on a small plot of park land with beautifully maintained gardens. It is the only 19th century one room school left in Fauquier County.

Kudos to you if you happen to notice the mockingbird perched atop the bell cupola in most of the photos. I hadn’t noticed it until I loaded the photos into the computer to organize them.

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