gracechurchproject

SAVING GRACE: The
RESTORATION OF GRACE CHURCH

Some History...

One hundred nineteen years ago in the small village of Lincoln,
Virginia, Quakers and freed slaves joined together in building one of
the first legal black churches in Loudoun County.

The Grace Methodist Episcopal Church was first conceived in the
"Old Lincoln Schoolhouse", officially called the Lincoln School -C
(built in 1866 ) where newly freed slaves were educated in what was
probably the first public school for Negroes in Virginia. The church's
congregation first organized in 1872 under the leadership of
Reverend Henry Carroll, and in 1884, Quakers and Freemen built
the existing church just up the hill from the school. Stone Masons
used native field stone and reportedly topped the structure with a
bell forged at the Purcellville Foundry, although evidence suggests
the current bell was manufactured in Ohio. The building was
dedicated on July 30, 1885, under the pastorate of Reverend John
Bean, a circuit rider, whose churches included those in Middleburg,
Leesburg, Lincoln and others. Services were originally held on the
second and fourth Sundays, and the basement was used as a
vocational school where Quakers taught sewing, cooking, shoe
repair and other skills to the black community.
The building never had plumbing, so water was carried from the
nearby spring located south of the building. Two outhouses, one
each for men and women were located on each side of the rear of
the churches and were reportedly "two-seaters." The location of the
women's outhouse was recently discovered by archaeologists but
the location of the men's room is still a mystery.

After around 1915, most of the congregation resided in Purcellville
and nearby Cookesville and walked to Lincoln for services. The
church was active and lively, and celebrated an annual homecoming
in August attended by large crowds where potluck meals were
shared. The church also celebrated “childrens day” and enjoyed
occasional joint-services with nearby Mount Olive Baptist Church.
Money was scarce, so fundraising was a constant effort. The more
popular fundraisers included "Tom Thumb Marriages" in which
tickets were sold to witness staged weddings acted out by young
children; and "Fan Drills", theatrical line- dances featuring young
girls dressed up in colorful costumes including overskirts that
"fanned" out.

The church served as an anchor and stabilizing force in Lincoln until
1942. In the early forties, then-Reverend Otis Jasper was
encouraged by his church District Superintendent to have the
Lincoln Church move to Purcellville where most of the congregation
resided.

In September 1949, Grace Annex Methodist Episcopal Church broke
ground for the new building on A Street in Purcellville and the old
stone church in Lincoln was eventually abandoned. Although the
congregation maintains an active cemetery in Lincoln, the old stone
church has been in disrepair and out of use since the early 1950’s.
The old church is owned by nine Trustees, most of whom are
descendants of the original founders.

We've waited years to get to this point and are so thrilled! The
Lincoln Preservation Foundation and the Board of Trustees of the
Grace Methodist Episcopal Church, Lincoln, VA, have joined hands
to bring this historic black church back to life. After raising the intial
$10,000 in seed money, LPF is embarking on the first step in
restoration--a complete archaeological survey including an extensive
dig using volunteers. Click here to see pictures of our progress.

The entire project is currently estimated at $350,000. Once
complete, a small African-American museum will occupy the
basement, and the large upper level will be available for community
events. So far, LPF has relied on private contributions and proceeds
from fundraising events to pay for this project. You can do your part
in preserving this important part of Loudoun's African-American
history by making a tax-deductible donation now.