Keswick in Albemarle County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)

Grace Episcopal Church

Photographed By Devry Becker Jones (CC0), April 3, 2021

1. Grace Episcopal Church Marker

Inscription. The vestry of Fredericksville Parish commissioned a church for this site in 1745. First known as Middle Church, the wood-frame building was later called Walker's Church. Thomas Jefferson attended the nearby classical school of the Rev. James Maury, who was rector here and is buried in the churchyard. Jefferson served on the parish vestry from 1767 to 1770. Parishioner Judith Page Walker Rives enlisted William Strickland, one of the nation's foremost architects, to design a replacement for the old frame church. The Gothic Revival sanctuary, consecrated by Bishop William Meade as Grace Church in 1855, is Strickland's only known work in Virginia.

Erected 2017 by Department of Historic Resources. (Marker Number W-242.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Architecture • Cemeteries & Burial Sites • Churches & Religion • Colonial Era. In addition, it is included in the Former U.S. Presidents: #03 Thomas Jefferson, and the Virginia Department of Historic Resources (DHR) series lists. A significant historical year for this entry is 1745.

Location. 38° 3.697′ N, 78° 18.502′ W. Marker is in Keswick, Virginia, in Albemarle County. Marker is on Gordonsville Road (Route 231) 0.1 miles south

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of Millwood Lane (County Road 783), on the left when traveling south. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 5607 Gordonsville Rd, Keswick VA 22947, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 5 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Castle Hill (approx. 1.4 miles away); St. John School — Rosenwald Funded (approx. 2.1 miles away); Revolutionary War Campaign of 1781 (approx. 2.4 miles away); Albemarle County / Louisa County (approx. 2.9 miles away); Southwest Mountains Rural Historic District (approx. 3.8 miles away); Marjorie S. Twohey (approx. 3.8 miles away); Maury’s School (approx. 4.1 miles away); a different marker also named Southwest Mountains Rural Historic District (approx. 4.3 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Keswick.

Photographed By Devry Becker Jones (CC0), April 3, 2021

2. Grace Episcopal Church Marker

Grace Episcopal Church image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Devry Becker Jones (CC0), April 3, 2021

3. Grace Episcopal Church

Plaques indicating the church's inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places and the Virginia Historic Landmarks Register hang in the doorway.

Grave site of Rev. James Maury image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Devry Becker Jones (CC0), April 3, 2021

4. Grave site of Rev. James Maury

The inscription on the monument reads: "Sacred to the memory of the Rev. James Maury, first pastor of Walker's Parish. Born April 8th, 1717. Died June 9th 1769. This monument is erected by Elizabeth Walker, as a tribute to his piety, learning and worth."

Credits. This page was last revised on February 2, 2023. It was originally submitted on April 4, 2021, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 344 times since then and 54 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on April 4, 2021, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.