Grace Church
Grace Church, formed in 1858, is located on 385 Essex Street.
At a meeting at St. Peter's Church (Episcopal) in 1848, the possibility of a second Episcopal church was discussed. By 1858 it had become a reality and the cornerstone was laid that October.
The first rector was the Rev. George Leeds.
In 1924, as the need of a new building arose (replacing the wooden structure) the decision was made to erect a new church building in the Gothic style. Architects Philip Horton Smith and Edgar Walker of Salem designed it. It contains four stained-glass windows from the original structure, including two by Tiffany. The Parish house is next door.
In 1929, the architect Woldemar H. Ritter connected the church to the Federal house at 385 Essex Street with a Gothic arcade reminiscent of a monastic cloister.
The Rev. Deborah Phillips was installed Nov. 20, 1997. She succeeds the Rev. Steven Crowson, who had left in 1995, after 16 years with Grace Church.
See Also
- Vertical File in Salem Collection - Churches
- "Grace Church installs new rector" Salem Evening News, Nov. 20, 1997, p. C3
- Grace Church Church website
- Grace Church, Salem :Personal recollections by Ellen Nichols, 1925.
- Grace Church in Salem: the first one hundred years, 1858-1958 by Lilly S. Abbott, 1958
- Salem Massachusetts by K. Turino and S. Schier, p. 71 (photo of original wooden church structure)
