The first Episcopal service in Clarkesville was held on Oct. 28, 1838, by the Rev. Mr. Ezra B. Kellogg, sent from N. Y. to the Diocese of Georgia as a missionary to this section. On Dec. 12, 1838, at his home, Grace Church was organized for three local Episcopal families and many coastal families of the denomination who spent their summers here. On April 15, 1839, the sixth Episcopal Church in the State was admitted to the Diocese. On June 7, 1839, the square acre lot was purchased from James Brannon for $100. For the first year, services were held in the Methodist Church and Clarkesville Academy. In 1841, the Rev. J B. Gallagher succeeded as Rector. Under his guidance, the building, begun in 1839, was completed in 1842. It was consecrated on Oct 6, 1842, by the Rt. Rev. Stephen Elliott, JR., first Bishop of Georgia, who reported it as "a very neat wooden building, with tower and bell, prettily located and an ornament to the village." Among prominent early members were Richard W. Habersham, Sr.; John R. Mathews; wardens Alexander Erwin, Benjamin F. Patton, George D. Phillips, John R. Stenford, Samuel A. Wales, John S. Dobbins, Doctor Phineas M. Kollock, and Jacob Waldberg; vestryman Richard W. Habersham, Jr.; and George R. Jessup, lay delegate to the convention that admitted the church to the Diocese.