Grace Episcopal Church
Hopkinsville, Christian County, Kentucky
Marker Inscription
Grace Episcopal Church. Organized in 1831 by local laymen with aid of George P. Giddinge, Md. missionary, who became first rector, and Benjamin B. Smith, later first Bishop of Ky. and Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church. First church was built ca. 1850 on Virginia St. On Oct. l0, 1875, Jefferson Davis, an Episcopalian and native of Christian Co., worshiped there. Over. (Reverse) Grace Episcopal Church - Present church built 1883-84. Liberal contributor was John C. Latham, Jr. Under rectors John W. Venable, 1883-94, and George C. Abbitt, 1902-29, church became center for social and cultural community activities. Parish house, a memorial to Emma Glass Gaither, built 1906. Tower destroyed in 1978 by tornado, restored in 1979. Presented by Grace Episcopal Church.
Erected by Kentucky Historical Society
The Story
Organized in 1831 by Hopkinsville laymen with help from an early missionary who became its first rector, Grace Episcopal grew alongside the young town of western Kentucky. Its first sanctuary rose around 1850, and in 1875 the parish welcomed Jefferson Davis—an Episcopalian and Christian County native—to worship. The present church was built in 1883–84 and became a hub of the community's social and cultural life, surviving a tornado that toppled its tower in 1978.
Why it matters
The church traces the spread of the Episcopal faith across the antebellum South and preserves a tangible link to Jefferson Davis in the county of his birth.
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Related people
- · Jefferson Davis
- · Benjamin B. Smith
- · George P. Giddinge
- · John C. Latham, Jr.
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
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