Grace Church - circa 1697

Constructed about 1697 for York Parish of the Anglican Church, the official Church of England, Grace Church was an integral part of Yorktown's colonial community, where citizens were required to attend services regularly or face criminal prosecution and where weddings, funerals, confirmations, and Sunday services also provided social opportunities. The church endured war damage during the American Revolution, when its pews and windows were broken and it was used as a magazine, and afterward Anglican churches in Virginia lost government support and struggled to survive while reorganizing as the Protestant Episcopal Church in Virginia. The Yorktown congregation faced additional hardship because the town's population had decreased over 60 percent as a result of the war. Its resilience was tested again in 1814, when a fire destroyed the church's roof and interior, forcing worship services for the next 34 years to be held in places including the courthouse and the Nelson House. By the fall of 1848, the church had been rebuilt using the original stone walls and became known as Grace Church for the first time. The congregation has continued to serve the Yorktown community for over 300 years, and the building remains a link to the town's colonial past.

Yorktown, Virginia · United States